


If The Sky Could Dream (It Would Dream of Dragons)

by OMGitsgreen



Series: The Tales and Dreams of Dragons [1]
Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Brotherly Love, Canonical Character Death, Dysfunctional Family, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Feels, Gen, Headcanon, Pre-Canon, Shin-ah is too pure for this world, eventual spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-16 06:22:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3477746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OMGitsgreen/pseuds/OMGitsgreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers."  In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom.<br/>A story following the Blue Dragons we all know and love with pre-canon leading to canon. *COMPLETED*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I kind of became seriously obsessed with Akatsuki no Yona after binge watching up to the current episode and reading all of the available manga. I'm also a huge sucker for Shin-Ah and anything to do with him, so I thought that a fanfiction would be a lovely addition to this very small community. This first chapter acts as a prologue, and the story will be about five or six chapters long. I hope you all enjoy!

_If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons._  
-Ilona Andrews

* * *

It was a story whispered in the village around hearths when the embers were dim and the winter storms rolled through the valleys and the wind screamed and chilled the bones to their marrow. A story only told by those brave and foolhardy enough to murmur it in the heat of the harvest as grain was gathered for empty bellies, or under the cover of the groves that young children hid in for play. It was a story to scare children, and to always remind them to be good or else the Blue Dragon's curse would befall them.

The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers.

In the Age of Legends the first Blue Dragon was created from the younger son of the Clan Head, who heard the voice of the God calling him to his mission. For what purpose and why was forgotten and eroded from the collective memory throughout the time span of a thousand years, but what was agreed upon was that the first Blue Dragon received the blood of the Dragon God and was given a great and terrible power. This power was that his eyes had the ability to cut down enemies, to turn them into stone with a single glance, and with this power full armies fell before his blade and might. However when the Blue Dragon returned, he made the village promise to never speak of his powers and in return he would protect them. The first Blue Dragon made them partake in his blood as the price to this agreement, and so the village became burdened with the curse, though they did not know it yet.

The elder brother was murderous with jealousy. He had been the chosen son groomed for assuming leadership of the clan his whole life, and certainly he had deserved to hear the voice of the Blue Dragon God over his younger brother. For years the elder brother nursed his hatred, until one day he no longer could take the burning of his hatred and in the middle of the night the elder brother stabbed the Blue Dragon in his sleep. He was of course caught without little ado, and the clan's elders gathered around the Blue Dragon in time to hear his dying words. His dying words were not kind, but instead promising his betrayer and brother as well as those kin who shared their blood that a great revenge would be inflicted upon him and the village because of his unrighteous death.

The village was petrified, for the Blue Dragon was the avatar of a God of War after all. He had soaked the battlefields of the material world with blood in a time when war was prevalent in the Kouka Kingdom and a Divine King took his place on the throne among warring clans. Certainly the punishment would be severe and terrible indeed. But nothing happened in the immediate days following the death, or at least that is what they assumed.

That was until the elder brother's wife bore her first and last child into the world. A child she died giving birth to upon the birthing bed, born with the Blue Dragon eyes.

It was then that the village believed that the Dragon's Eyes were a great curse from the wronged Dragon God to punish the village and remind all those who shared in its sin of the grudge of the dead dragon.

Though how long can a story so terrifying remain? Eventually, just as like the purpose of the Blue Dragon and its red-haired King, this story too was forgotten and lost in the sea of time. A thousand years is a long time, and human hearts are fickle after all. Even though the story didn't remain, the fear and the unforgotten grudge did, and so the village stayed in secret and contained that divine punishment within its borders. And so the Village of the Blue Dragon remained this way for a thousand years, but eventually it changed, just like all things changed.

That story went like many other stories did, but always started in the same way. It was a tale of two brothers.


	2. The One Who Is Burned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon leading to canon, and lots of headcanon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> General Notes: In order to make clear the differences in Japanese I've chosen to use "Blue Dragon" as the title so when people are talking of the dragon they will use "Blue Dragon". And Seiryuu as the name version so people will talk to Seiryuu. Ao, obviously, was once known as Seiryuu as well, which I hope I made exceedingly clear.  
> Also the "joke" referred to in the chapter is that Ao literally means blue in Japanese, and Ao chose that name for himself. Not giving an actual f. Hope that gives you a good idea about his character.  
> I hope you all enjoy!

_Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned._  
-Buddha

* * *

There was a tradition in the Village of the Blue Dragon to never name a child before that child was born. Names had a great power after all, and it was even said that it was bestowing a name upon a child when they took their first breath that allowed them to draw in their souls. This was because names belonged to humans and humans alone. The unnamed were the mysterious, the dangerous, and the deadly: the dragons. A dragon could only receive a name once the next generation was born, for in their unnatural state they only reverted to humanity as the next generation absorbed their blood and power, because it was only in death that they were to become humans. Throughout their lives they were considered nothing more than tamed beasts who the village had to both protect the outside from and protect the village from within from. But no dragon truly received a name, for who loved a dragon enough to name them and restore with them their soul before their deaths? And so the dragon would name themselves, being the unnatural creatures that they were, and so would live on and die in agony.

His predecessor took the name of Hwan which meant "shining" or "bright", not because the name had any important meaning to him, but the day Seiryuu was born it was a bright and cloudless day. Hwan gave himself that name to remind him of the death knell the newly born Blue Dragon had sounded for him. It was his greatest humiliation, because Hwan had only been eighteen when the next Blue Dragon had been born (it should be noted that Blue Dragons died much younger than their counterpart dragons. If this was because of conditions in their villages or the total hatred of their own powers, it was unknown), but this knowledge to a young man that was the greatest of insults. To be doomed to slowly grow weak as the new Blue Dragon grew stronger, every mile or new star Seiryuu could see just furthered Hwan's hatred. Not because he believed his powers to be of great purpose but instead out of fear of death itself. So when Hwan knew his life was about to end, when his eyes could no longer make out the stars in the sky or the light from the darkness, he exacted his great revenge on the boy and the Blue Dragon who lived on within him. Hwan simply didn't move from his cot, even as he wasted away he forced the Seiryuu to watch him die. As the boy watched on horrified he tried to beg the previous Blue Dragon to let him go get someone, but Hwan took in laborious breaths and ordered Seiryuu to stay. It was with his last breaths that Hwan whispered the words which would stay with Seiryuu for the rest of his life,

"One day…same fate…" Hwan said between shudders and gasping coughs as he fought to keep himself alive by the moment, "They will…always hate…you…no one…not even God needs…us…live alone…"

"Then what is the point of this?" Seiryuu begged the dying dragon, "Please, Hwan, tell me! Why am I alive?"

Hwan gave the Seiryuu the most vicious of smiles as his pointed canines flashing in the candlelight as he struggled to grab Seiryuu's neck and squeeze with what little strength he had left, the mask Hwan wore slid to the side and Seiryuu saw death itself. Eyes filmed and empty of sight, the marks beneath blood red from within a corpse-white face. In those eyes lay the abyss, the endless darkness and void that remained for him.

"There is….no such thing…as something eternal…"

Suddenly Hwan seized and died, eyes empty and cold and hand dropping to the floor. And soon after the village elders found the Blue Dragon sitting in shocked silence in the hut, the smell of death nearly choking him. As Seiryuu watched as his predecessor's body burned, leaving behind no trace, he caught his hands drifting towards his neck where he swore he could feel those frigid, desperate fingers branding his own fate into his skin.

* * *

He hated him and loved him from the very beginning.

It happened in an instant. Seiryuu had gone to bed, exhausted and cold from slaying the filth of the outsider societies who came for his powers in the middle of a raging storm. Village may have hated him, and the feeling was very mutual, but at least they feared him and gave him extra food when he did his duties. Outsiders were enemies that were to be destroyed, pests that served to thankfully curb and direct his burning hatred and to satisfy the bloodlust of the dragon who lived within his eyes. He was so thorough with his cleansing of enemies from the land of the village that barely any ventured near the village any longer. The neighbor villages had begun to grow even more terrified of the cursed village on the outskirts of the Earth Tribe, and made sure to leave them very much alone.

Seiryuu at this point was already twenty-nine. This was an achievement because at least in the recent memory of the village, the last Blue Dragon who had lived even to twenty-eight had been the dragon of six generations past. The village, though terrified of Seiryuu and all he stood for, had grown comfortable with him at least and knew very well the tides of his moods which made him manageable. And the fact he had lived so long had saved a few years' worth of children from sharing his fate. They would be at least slightly saddened to see him die because for being a Blue Dragon, he had been as well liked as he could be. But also because twenty-nine was already an extremely long life for a Blue Dragon, Seiryuu should have really been expecting it to occur at any time. The moment when the next Blue Dragon would be born was certainly upon him at any moment and he should have been prepared. But then again, who could ever be prepared for death?

That night was stormy and dark, and he awoke alone. The storm ceased for a moment and the whole world was quiet, as if waiting in bated breath, and just as suddenly as he had awoke tears flooded down his cheeks. Not tears of happiness or sadness, but because of the sense of loss within him. The Blue Dragon God's will was gone from within him, leaving him an empty vessel. And then there was a sudden tug, a desperate instinct to protect the newly born Blue Dragon that drove him into the village causing him to trip and stumble on despite the rain and the cold to where he was normally barred from going. He ran to a small hut, where a husband wailed in grief, and the midwife stayed turned away. It was obvious to him that the mother was already dead, most likely from suicide. His own mother had gone the same way after all, despairing at the thought of a cursed child born from her womb. The Elder of the village looked on at the squirming child, already sporting the child mask before looking on at the now previous Seiryuu who fell to his knees in utter shock.

The Elder appraised him warily, and after determining his reaction wouldn't be as violent as Hwan's before him, he gave the now previous Seiryuu a knowing look.

"You will need a new name now." He told the former Seiryuu who pulled off his mask and just gave him a resentful glare in return. He hated wearing the mask anyways, even though it had been a tradition to mask the Blue Dragon since the first Blue Dragon had walked the lands. He had liked his vision to be clear, and since there was only so little time left he would have to soak up as much of the Dragon's sight as he could before he went blind.

"Ao." The now previous Seiryuu offered and the Elder immediately glared at him.

"Is this your attempt at humor, Seiryuu? I certainly do not find it funny."

"Don't worry about it." Seiryuu, now Ao said with an exceedingly bitter chuckle before giving the Elder a noncommittal shrug, "I'm not going to live much longer. No use putting in too much trouble and worrying about it."

"Fine, Ao then. As stated by our laws, the new Seiryuu has been born. It is your duty to care for him."

"I don't know anything about babies. I'll end up killing him." Ao snapped at the Elder as he tried to get up as he ignored his shaking knees and prayed no one else noticed, making sure to flash his gaze as he did so. But the Elder was at least no longer as intimidated by him as before and stood his ground against him.

"Your predecessor worked it out fine. And besides, if you let this child die, it will be your obligation to care for the next one born as well. So take that as motivation."

"Fine." Ao said hotly, "Give me the brat then."

Except no one in the room made a move to touch the baby, even as the baby began to squirm and cry. The father just continued to look away and sob, and the Elder looked at Ao as if he had just been told something utterly impossible. Realizing their intentions, Ao stormed over, grabbing the baby before walking out of the house and leaving the father to mourn. He didn't know how to hold a baby, so he just pressed the child against his chest and went back to his hut quickly as he was soaked in the rain yet again.

When Ao got back to his home however, he came at a loss at what he was actually supposed to do with the kid. First he did the obvious which was to change and take the child from the soaking blankets and awkwardly wrap him up in a dry blanket. After this he simply placed the child down on the straw mattress he used to sleep, but immediately the baby-Seiryuu, he reminded himself, began to fuss. He didn't scream like the annoying babies that always cried in the village, but instead hiccupped and sobbed and seemingly reached out with chubby baby fingers for something. Looking for Ao, most likely. Even though the child was masked, he could feel the Blue Dragon's power from within him, and saw the baby down fluff of blue peeking out from blankets. The kid could mostly likely at least see through the wood, but how would Ao know?

"What?" He asked the kid, not expecting an answer because he wasn't crazy, but still. How did mothers do this? Were they in possession of the understanding of baby language? Ao scooted closer, and offered his hand, and was immediately rewarded with a surprisingly sure grip of Seiryuu's little fingers. An odd chill swept his spine as he realized that this was actually his first time touching a baby. He had never been allowed near other kids, firstly because he was a monster, but especially because when he was younger he had a tendency to fight for fun. Ao couldn't actually believe that at one point, he had also been so small.

Awakening him from his revelry and to answer his question from before, Seiryuu began to suck on Ao's fingers.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Ao said with a sigh as he palmed the back of his neck and looked around his hut, "What a pain. What the hell am I supposed to feed you?"

Ao scanned his positions and food supplies for a moment before spotting what it is that he was looking for. Every few days when he ventured into town, he would get goat's milk from one of the villagers. He still had a bit left, so he started up the hearth and made a mental note to get milk more often, and brought the milk to a simmer and let it cool until it was warm. Again he awkwardly placed the baby on his lap, trying to figure out a way to balance him so he could easily spoon the milk into his mouth with the dipper. The first time he spilled most of it and Seiryuu didn't understand what was happening, but by the second or third time he had the baby drinking happily of Ao's stock. He did that until Seiryuu no longer seemed interested and seemingly dozed off on his lap. Ao rested his chin on the palm of his hands as the baby slept.

Ao hated this child and that was for certain, Ao thought. Hated the child because of what it was and what that meant for him. But the child itself, he felt a strong urge to protect it. Ao knew that was the Dragon's way of assuring a proper vessel to move into. It was the same heartbeat he had felt long ago when he had closed his eyes and concentrated hard, but he had never known who they were and what they meant to him, and neither did they reach out to Ao. Ao simply just didn't have control, and neither would this child. It would be his duty, to prepare him for a world where there would be no warmth or light. A dragon's path was always darkness. In that way, in having someone to share the life of the Dragon, Ao was at least a little happy.

Ao decided, just like he did with his enemies on the battlefield, to secure as much of an understanding of his situation as possible in order to decide how to continue on. First he removed the mask to reveal the child's face. A head of blue hair, like his, cheeks marked with the Blue Dragon's brand. He imagined if the baby opened his eyes, they would be as golden as his own. After assuring himself of those traits, he looked at his tiny fingers and toes, his little legs, unsure of what this was supposed to tell him but taking stock certainly wasn't a bad idea. He wrapped the baby back up in the blanket and gently lay him down beside him. And so Ao stared up and the ceiling and the sky beyond for comfort, knowing he was to get no more sleep.

Ao decided at that moment that whatever he was going to come up with would be pure improvising and this brat wouldn't be able to hold it against him.


	3. Of Natural and Spontaneous Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens! Duh duh DUUUUUH!
> 
> And spring break arrives, thank goodness. More time to write and more time to relax with the family. It's truly a wonderful thing.
> 
> With this chapter, I have finished with all the chapters I have prewritten for this story. Yay. I also both wanted to give Ao's character a bit more definition, as well as the society that they live in. I wanted it to have stories and cuisines and a sense of place, and I also wanted the people to be somewhat tragic in their hatred and sadness. And also fluff. Lots of cute fluff to balance out the angst. I hope that came across well enough. Hope you all enjoy~OMGitsgreen

_Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like._  
-Lao Tzu

* * *

Once the Blue Dragon who became known as Ao asked his predecessor Hwan about the first Blue Dragon. Only once.

"You must know something, Hwan." Ao had pressed eagerly, poking the elder boy's side and Hwan gave him a sneer and slapped his hand away. Obviously he was disgusted by the younger boy's familiar touch, but Ao had not let that deter him from his questioning.

"Why the hell would I tell you if I did know something?"

"Because I'm a Blue Dragon as well! I should know the things about the first Blue Dragon that you know. I deserve to know."

"The first Blue Dragon was a coward." Hwan hissed as he took a long drink of the flask in his hand, which made Ao flinch. Ao hated Hwan, but hated him most when he drank, which was almost all of the time. Hwan said it helped him drown out his headaches, but Ao knew that when Hwan heavily drank that only meant two things for him. First, that Ao would be getting a few new bruises, and secondly that Hwan's headache would only get worse the next day which would make his horrid mood even fouler.

"What about him was cowardly?"

"I don't need to know anything about him to know he was a coward. A real warrior wouldn't use such a curse on the battlefield freely. The way I see it, he had to have been some bastard who prayed to the Blue Dragon God for power, and he got just what he wanted. And then he offended the God with the use of that power and now we all pay for his mistakes." Hwan said, holding up the flask in a bitter toast.

"A real warrior." Ao said, letting the words fall from his lips, and begin to form a dream. "Do you think it's possible for me to become a real warrior?"

"What?" Hwan asked incredulously. "What kind of nonsense are you babbling about?"

"I won't ever use my curse, but instead I'll save the village with just the sword."

"You? Just using a sword? Laughable." Hwan said, "We have a curse, sure. But the curse is useful. You should just use it when you need too and only when you absolutely need too."

"No." Ao said stubbornly, his mind made up, "I'll protect the village with only my sword, and then they'll all see. They'll have their dumb rumors shoved right back into their faces!"

Hwan didn't answer him for a moment, just downed the rest of his liquor before he stated bluntly,

"How disgusting."

(A few years after Hwan's death, a group of bandits came to raid the village. He had no choice, Ao knew. He had to use his eyes to defeat them, because he was only still a child and the group so outnumbered him. Ao unleashed the Blue Dragon from his eyes, allowed himself to be consumed by the Dragon's bloodlust as he gleefully tore his enemies apart. But then the high of battle left his veins, and Ao finally lay among the bodies of those he had killed. Their blood pooled and tinged the ground and made the mud taste like copper as his nerves were set on fire with paralysis, and Ao finally conceded. Hwan had been right all along. Hope was truly a disgusting thing.)

* * *

When the rainy season came, the water invaded everything and filled up the valley like a bowl. The robes of villagers were always stuck to their legs, their sandals and toes and shoes caked with mud. The water seeped through the roofs, leaving everything water marked from the blankets which threatened to rot, to kettles which rusted, and to even the walls which grew dingy with mold. The winds screamed as they blew across the fields and valleys, and the rice paddies overflowed. The palate of the sky crushed down upon the village, clouds concealing the heavens and leaving day a pallid shade of grey, and night in thick, suffocating darkness. People in the village gathered around fires for warmth, trying to soothe their tired bodies that had been possessed by cold and the invasive rain that they had almost forgotten the sun.

But summer always returns, despite how long it may seem before it arrives. And with the summer and the sunlight a whole new slew of problems for Ao arose. First, gnats that loved to bite swarmed the sun-bleached waves of grass. Secondly, the sluggish humidity that made him want to tear his hair out by the root or just give up and melt away on the floor where at least it was a semblance of cool. Thirdly, and the worst of all, Seiryuu had learned to walk.

He was about a year old at that point and had been crawling around a lot, and had finally figured out how to climb up by using the wall or the scarce furniture to get up on his feet. In the rainy season, it had been easy enough to keep him corralled in the house, making sure that as he walked about that he didn't get himself into any trouble. However, as Ao soon found out, if he had thought taking care of a baby was annoying when all he did was nothing, having that same baby be able to toddle around unsteadily was a whole new level of hassle.

Ao had been practicing his sword drills and to strengthen the grip of his hands when he caught a glimpse at Seiryuu waddling about the front of the house chasing after a bird that he was seemingly enchanted by. He walked forward, reaching out obviously clearly able to see through his mask as he did so. But then Ao watched with a start as the small child fell over a rock and landed on his face. Ao cringed and panicked, feeling terror in a way that standing before a half-dozen enemies could never inspired as he quickly walked over to where Seiryuu was sobbing.

Ao knelt by the child's side and pulled up the mask to get a better look. Seiryuu's chin was scraped and bleeding and his eyes were welling up and spilling over with tears. Ao used his robe to mop up the tears.

"Come on now." Ao said firmly the mask in one hand and balancing in the kid in the other, "You've got to be tougher than that. It's just a little bump and scratch, you are fine."

"Buh…buh…!" Seiryuu said in return, obviously in some form of despair, reaching in vain for where the blue birds had settled in the tree by the hut.

"I know, I know. The birds are beautiful to look at. Those blue birds only live here in the valley when they have the warmth of the sun and the fruits of the world. But birds fly-" Ao said lifting him up and balancing the kid against his hip, unsure of how this kid was ever going to be the Blue Dragon when he was so easily hurt, "-and we don't. You should never try to catch a bird. They belong to the sky, after all. And we belong down here."

"Buh…" Seiryuu said before turning his face and patting his tiny hand against Ao's chest and reaching up to grab his necklace of feathers. Ao tried not to wince at the feeling of him pulling at his necklace, but let the feathers brush Seiryuu's hand anyways.

"These are feathers. Birds do have feathers."

"Ah…buh…" Seiryuu said and Ao couldn't help but feel his eyebrows raise.

"Ao." Ao corrected, motioning to himself awkwardly with the mask in his hand, "I am Ao. And I am not a bird, though I do have some feathers."

"Ah…oh…"

Ao blinked and very nearly dropped Seiryuu.

"Did you just say my name? Ao?" He asked Seiryuu who just blinked back at him with wide, golden eyes that shimmered in the warm summer sun and reflected all shades of gold and yellow and were flecked with sapphire blue in the midmorning light. Those eyes were huge on his face, and Ao knew from experience that without a mask to add a boundary, the world was so vast and immeasurable to look at that a Blue Dragon could become lost. In fact there was a tale in the village of a Blue Dragon long ago, perhaps one of the first few generations, who became so intoxicated with the sight of the sun and the sky that he sat until he went blind just staring at it and died of hunger and thirst. But instead of looking at the blue birds in the tree or the sky, Seiryuu's eyes focused on Ao and he reached up and touched his chin with little cold fingers.

"Ao." Seiryuu said happily and Ao dropped his mask from suddenly numb fingers.

Ao felt his cheeks warm despite himself, and felt Seiryuu press his face against his chest and begin nodding off. Ao in return ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to calm down and stop his heart from squeezing the way it was.

"What am I supposed to do about this?" Ao asked no one really in particular.

The birds flew overhead, off into the endless horizon.

* * *

The copper smell of blood was always carried with him from the battlefield back to his hut.

They had just been a group of marauders looking for any village to blunder, which had been easy work for Ao. Their swings were heavy and clumsy, while he was fast and strong and agile, able to see a muscle twitch in any direction before an arm even moved. But he was always sure to wash up the sweat and the blood in the well before he returned to the hut, unsure of whether it was his manic smile or the scent carried with him that scared the child and made him hide.

And so after one of those battles they settled in for a rather quiet night. Seiryuu followed Ao around like a lost duckling as Ao cooked. Seiryuu was still little and could only eat soft things as his baby teeth came in, so gruel was the only option as it was most nights. Food had never been plentiful in the village, as they had been farming only rocks from the tired and old lands for generations. So no one was a picky eater, and anything edible had to been stretched to last as long as possible. So Ao fetched the rice and simmered it until it was a gruel along with the cracked bones of a bird they had eaten in order to give it flavor and sustenance. Pickling was another art that had been perfected in the village, to preserve any vegetable grown at any cost. But by the time he had gotten the jars of picked daikon out Seiryuu was already whining in hunger and Ao had shoved the bowl into the child's hands quickly, careful to ladle out any stray bird bones and allowed Seiryuu to eat before he had begun to cry. Ao would give him the daikon only if he would be hungry for more (which Ao knew would always be the case).

With his belly full and warm, Seiryuu was easily tucked into bed just as a knock came at the door of the hut, startling Ao. Unsure of why a person would come to his hut he went to the doorway and opened it only to see the very unpleasant sight of the Elder with his cane and a bag at his feet.

"What?" Ao asked immediately, "I just got the kid to sleep."

"It can take care of itself for a few moments." The Elder said and Ao felt his face flush with shame and anger.

" _He_." Ao corrected, and the Elder gave it a dirty look, "And he is just a brat who just learned his first words. You think I can just walk around and leave him and do some of your tedious dirty work without him eating something he shouldn't or falling or getting carried away by a hawk or something?" Ao snapped back grumpily and felt a little tug at the hem of his robes. The Elder took a step back fearfully, as Seiryuu just looked up at Ao, his mouth not obscured by his mask letting Ao know his terror.

"Ao…Ao…" He said, worriedly and Ao just gave Seiryuu a pat on the head.

"I know. His ugly face scares me too." Ao laughed, watching in glee as the Elder's face twisted in disgust. Ao led Seiryuu back to the straw where they slept, shushed him down for a minute and then returned outside to see the Elder's glare just further deepen. "You know, if you keep looking at me in that way, it might get stuck or I will get insulted."

"Insulting you is the least of my worries." The Elder said haughtily, "Especially after all of the havoc you have caused."

"Fine. Why don't we get to the point then?" Ao growled, "What are you doing here, Grandfather?"

"Don't call me that." The Elder hissed, tapping his cane on the ground in obvious warning, but Ao wasn't in the mood to back down meekly.

"Why? It's true. Or are you just too ashamed to admit it?" Ao asked before suddenly a crack filled his ear and his cheek went painfully numb. The Elder's hand was raised and shook with the force of his hatred.

"Don't you dare call me that! Don't. You. Dare. You took her life from her! You were the one-you were the one-!" The Elder said, as his eyes burned with the unlimited breadth of his hatred. Ao just touched his cheek for a moment before giving the Elder a bitter smirk.

"You can hit me more if it will make you feel better. But trust me, you do not hate me anywhere near as much as I hate myself." Ao told the old man bluntly, who looked ready to raise his cane and give him a beating, but he didn't. Instead he just took the bag and threw it at his feet.

"Your rations. Also, I have been tasked by the council to let you know we have been hearing many rumors of the roving bands beginning to become more active and numerous."

"Where the hell is the actual military to take care of this?" Ao asked annoyed, "I can only handle so much."

"You'll manage. You always do. After all, there's no use in turning to that good-for-nothing king for aid unless you wish for our shame to be discovered."

"Very well. I'll be vigilant." Ao promised tightly. "But I do have the kid to deal with now. I can't go running the perimeter all the hours of sunlight like I used too."

"You'll manage. Your predecessors always did." The Elder said before looking past him at the hut. "You haven't actually started to care for the child, have you?"

"It's not like I mind him, it's just that…He's killing me, and you all force me to take care of him so he may also grow up to have this happen to him. It's really all so great." Ao scoffed sarcastically. "When our ancestors created The Rules, they had a wonderful sense of humor."

"I do not care for your comfort. In fact, your misery pleases me." The Elder said, quite proud of himself, "I do not want you to forget. You owe me a lifetime of sorrow because of the blood debt upon your hands. I will have you repay it with your pain every day, or perhaps it will be more affective if that child repays it, if it takes one step out of line. A child for a child."

"What would you do? Kill him?" Ao asked, a shiver running down his spine at the thought of Seiryuu dead as if the echo of his blood warned him of danger to the heir, "Even you couldn't possibly get away with that."

The Elder gave Ao a look so vile it sent him on edge and had him poised to draw his sword. Later, he would remember that moment and wish he had.

"I will give him a fate worse than death. That I promise to you."

And with saying all that he wished to, the Elder hobbled back up the path, resuming the shape of a tired old man instead of an avenging spirit poised to wreak havoc upon Ao.

Suddenly feeling more tired than ever and wishing to relax, Ao walked back into the hut and deposited the bag by the door. He found Seiryuu curled under the thin blankets and shivering up a storm. Seiryuu called his name weakly through chattering teeth and despite the fact the sun had just set and he was nowhere near tired enough to sleep, Ao took pity on the small boy and slid in next to him to share warmth. Seiryuu was sensitive to the cold, and even though it was summer the winds from the mountains still swept the valleys and chilled the night considerably.

Ao just rested against the wall, a tired Seiryuu squirming under his arm to rest his head upon Ao's lap. The sounds of summer droned outside, the windswept grasses, the calls of grasshoppers, the far off cries of the nightbirds. Ao just sat there for a moment as he tried to rub warmth into Seiryuu's back, staring at the full moon beyond the window as ribbons of pure light illuminated the dark room and began to speak to fill the emptiness and distract Seiryuu from his shivering,

"Once, a long time ago, there was a fox, a monkey, and a rabbit. They all promised each other to practice good charity to celebrate the night of the full moon because they believed this charity would give them great rewards. And so the three companions walked along together back to the fox's den to celebrate, but while walking through the woods came across a beggar. The beggar wore nothing but rags and was as thin as a reed, but asked politely if the three companions had any food to spare."

"Seeing it to be a good opportunity, each companion strived to offer the beggar the best they could. First the monkey climbed the highest trees in the forest to pluck the most luscious and juicy of fruits. Secondly, the fox, seeing himself to be very clever, tricked a bird out of giving him her eggs for the beggar to cook. But the rabbit despaired, because what can a rabbit do but gather grass and weeds? In spite of this shortcoming, he was resolved to carry out his promise of charity. So, when the beggar created a fire to cook his eggs, the rabbit threw itself into the flames."

"However the rabbit was not harmed by the fire, and the beggar took the rabbit in his arms and pulled he rags from his body to reveal his true form. The beggar was the sublime spirit of the moon itself, who was honored by their promise of charity in his name and had wished to thank them if they had been truly virtuous. So touched by the rabbit's honor and sincerity, the moon spirit drew the rabbit's likeness on the moon itself, and it is still there today."

By the tale's end, Ao had assumed the child had already fallen asleep. But to his surprise, the child laboriously sat up, as if his head and mask were far too heavy for his shoulders and reached out in the direction of the moonlight.

"Ao…muh…" Seiryuu said sleepily.

"Yeah. The moon has a rabbit on it." Ao said, gently (so, so gently) grasping Seiryuu's hand to help him trace the pattern himself. That incited a smile from Seiryuu who just generally looked delighted with himself and the moon and made Ao sigh and slide down into a prone position. "Yes, yes, it's very nice. Now it's time to go to bed, because if you don't you'll be cranky and I'll be cranky with you."

Seiryuu fell asleep beside him, his breath soft whispers that gently stirred Ao's hair (which was getting to be too long, but Ao didn't have the motivation to cut it). It was then as the child slept that Ao realized throughout the exchange, he had been smiling. Smiling, in spite of the Elder's warning and the fact the child was essentially killing him slowly. He had actually been smiling.

And so Ao closed his eyes resigned, knowing that it was already too late.


	4. On Being Loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Goes and hides in the closet to protect herself from the feels*
> 
> PSA: Shin-ah and Ao are family, so obviously Ao is also a cinnamon roll who is too good, too pure for this world.
> 
> Next chapter is where we shall be starting off with Shin-ah's POV. We shall still be riding the train down to feelsville, so stay on the line and do not try to get off! Italics were obviously the quotes taken from the manga/anime which belong to their copyright owners and I only use on the whims of fanfiction. Hope you enjoy~OMGitsgreen

_"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."_

-Lao Tzu

* * *

Stories were the lifeblood of the village of the Blue Dragon, after all, what else did they have? The weather was an endless assault, the crops could hardly ever grow, and even the lives of their own children were so easily taken away by an evil curse that was inflicted upon their bloodline. Just like the water of a stagnant pool, they were trapped, sickened, and weak. And the weak always lose everything they hold dear. But stories were different. Stories could distract from hunger or cold or anything else life offered. Stories slipped through the cracks of time, eternal but always changing.

Around the hearth to the young, mothers told their children stories of a magical fish and a young girl, who cared for it until her step-mother killed it. And then by praying over its bones the beautiful young girl received a dress and slippers fit for a queen and was able to marry a king. Fathers told their sons of the great Red Dragon God, who broke the egg of the world and heaven and molded the world with his holy fire and scales and claws as they tended to the rice patties and chopped wood for the house and home. But the Elders told different sorts of stories, stories of beasts who lived among them. Stories of the times that had come to pass.

One of these stories was a story of a Blue Dragon long past. The story was so old that, perhaps, even it was of the first. But it was a story of how the Blue Dragon had been arrogant while dealing with a band of mercenaries who roamed the kingdom in search of gold. The Blue Dragon was a terrifying creature who could turn to stone any man who looked into his eyes, but even his power had a limit. The rogues took him hostage, thinking they could gouge his eyes out to use them as weapons, but they had been killed in vengeance and it was then that he donned a mask to hide his precious eyes. When the foolhardy boys of the tribe asked if that meant that they too could kill the Blue Dragon, the Elder had these words of wisdom to say,

"Beware of the strong and powerful monsters of this world. That is a lesson you must understand with no doubt. A wolf and its pack will easily tear you apart. However, more dangerous and terrifying is the weak and ugly monster. For a wolf will howl to let you know they approach, but a snake will never give you such curtesy before they bite. They will lash out and without a shadow of a chance, you will be dead."

The children and the adults in the hut seemed to nod in agreement, and never saw the little boy hiding beneath the window, out of sight and out of mind.

* * *

The fits began during Seiryuu's second year of life and continued on through the third.

Ao had been stabbed and cut and hurt before in battle, had his arm broken by a few boys in the village, as well as beaten as a child by his predecessor. And yet, none of that compared to the pain in his head. It tore behind his skull, pounding incessantly like a hammer to iron, the light twisted before his eyes creating patterns and making him so dizzy and ill he had to remain laying down in the dark and absolute silence in order to even think. At some points he wondered if bashing his skull against the rocks and letting his brains pool out of his head in the riot of colors that swirled before his fading eyes would rage the storm in his head, but he always knew that it wouldn't work. He would wish to bring his sword through his stomach, but he could never get up enough strength to crawl or else he would vomit, and his numb fingers wouldn't be able to hold anything anyways.

If Seiryuu even breathed a word he would be sent again in a pit of absolute agony that had him writhing on the floor screaming. So they went days without speaking, and when the boy had to speak he spoke so quietly his voice was like a whisper from a distant dream. Always mindful of him, Ao thought bitterly. He was too gentle for what life had cut out for him, too emphatic. He cried when Ao butchered the birds for dinner or smashed bugs under foot. Ao had a duty to at least try to prepare him for life without him, but knew that was an increasingly impossible task especially with how attached he got.

And so Ao was laying there on the floor, sweating as he opened his eyes and begged the world to stop spinning when suddenly he heard the little feet of Seiryuu pattering back into the hut. In his little hands was a little basket full of plump, unblemished persimmons. He padded over to the basket where Ao kept the bowls and knifes and picked a persimmon from the basket.

"Where did you…get that…?" Ao asked him, trying to rub away the dried spit from his cheek and sit up, only to feel the world turn and heave in response.

"Found tree…woods." Seiryuu explained as he cut the persimmon into four parts carefully his little fingers obviously scrapped from the climbing, "Ao likes…sweet things."

"You climbed a tree?"

"Not too high." Seiryuu answered sheepishly. "Ao eat…feel better…"

"I don't know if I'll be able to stomach it." Ao warned Seiryuu who offered him the bowl of the freshly cut persimmon proudly. The hopeful look he was given telling him to try, to gather his strength. So Ao took a piece trying not to cringe as his jaw opened and sent a fresh ache reverberating through his skull. The fruit itself was perfect, tangy, and sweet as juices filled his mouth. It was the first thing he had eaten in at least a day, and it awakened his seemingly deadened appetite and settled into his stomach without overthrowing the delicate equilibrium he had made with his illness. Careful not to overdo it, Ao finished the first persimmon and then waved off Seiryuu who tried to cut him another.

It was then that the growling of Seiryuu's stomach caught his attention. Seiryuu didn't acknowledge it, nor did he reach to pick one of the fruits in the basket for himself. So Ao grabbed one of the persimmons and tossed it to him, making Seiryuu look up to him in surprise.

"You haven't eaten." Ao stated, not bothering to ask because he knew. "I bet you didn't even eat any of the fruit when you were climbing the tree."

Seiryuu nodded absently before beginning to eat ravenously of the fruit in his hand, Ao noting the slightly elongated canines of his teeth, another feature Ao shared with him, but when had they come in? This kid had grown up so much in a blink of an eye it seemed, and the thought not only turned his stomach sour and forced him to swallow back his vile but caused him to dig his nails into his palm.

"Why didn't you eat?" Ao asked, a simple but loaded question that the boy couldn't dodge answering. "You should have eaten if you were hungry."

"Ao." He answered as if it was self-evident. Ao either didn't understand, or was refusing to understand Seiryuu's point until the boy said it himself.

"What about me?" Ao pressed for answers.

"For Ao." He said between bites.

"These were all yours though." Ao said with a frown, scratching his head and still attempting to probe the mind of the incomprehensible Seiryuu. Seiryuu, having finished his food, licked his fingers clean before looking away. This told Ao that he was about to do one of two things. First, either he was using this as a bribe to ask him something. Or second, he was about to say something ridiculous. At this point Ao knew he shouldn't have continued to press the boy, but it was already too late apparently.

"Give…family gives." Seiryuu said faintly and shyly, Ao having to strain to hear him.

"Family?" Ao asked thoroughly confused and wondering if he had just misheard, "Who?"

"Us."

"Us?" Ao demanded, "How are we a family? In what way?"

"Ao cares for me…I care for Ao…"

"We are not a family." Ao hissed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I just got stuck with you. I definitely never spawned a brat like you."

"Ao is family." Seiryuu said firmly and stubbornly, his jaw set and Ao imagined his brows were furrowed. Normally Seiryuu was obedient to a fault, but when Seiryuu felt particularly strong about a question or a fact it was hard to make him budge or convince him otherwise when he had his mind and heart set on something. Why else would he have walked possibly miles into the woods and climbed a tree he wasn't tall enough to climb and had gotten bruised and scraped up over fruit for him? Seiryuu had made a decision that Ao was family, how he had come to that conclusion was beyond him, but it would be fighting an upwards and impossible battle to try to get him to change his mind.

Ao had better things to do with his time then argue over the formalities of guardianship and family ties.

"Do whatever you please." Ao snapped irritably, before laying back down on the straw mat. "Now shut up and let me sleep."

Even though Ao should have, Ao didn't push Seiryuu away when he burrowed next to him under the covers with him. It was odd, Ao thought, and maybe in his imagination. Being close to Seiryuu like that, even if it was just a little, his headache lessened.

* * *

Seiryuu's third year and into his fourth caused big changes.

Seiryuu began to wander into the village. Not necessarily sneaking out when Ao wasn't looking, but rather just walking down to the village blatantly where they were barred from going. Ao had been the same way as a child, or at least that was until some boys from the village had broken his arm. Seiryuu had been searching and hoping for companionship that would never be found outside of Ao or the Blue Dragon after Seiryuu, reaching out to humans even though humans were essentially evil and cruel things that would never understand him. Ao wasn't about to let the same thing happen to the boy that had happened to him, and the only way he could do that was by scaring him. Because it wasn't his job to be kind. It was his duty to teach him.

_"Why do…the villagers…run away? Is my power…cursed?"_

_"Those who look into the eyes of the Blue Dragon are turned to stone. That's the ridiculous rumor the villagers believe. The Blue Dragon's power won't turn those who look into stone, but it will paralyze their nerves. In some cases, even their hearts. Either way, it's a creepy power."_

_"But if that's true I'm cursed-"_

_"Yeah, that's right, you're cursed! By a monster known as the Blue Dragon! Damnit! Why does this legendary power or whatever haunt this village? Even if the Blue Dragon dies another is born and the villagers keep spreading these lies!"_

_"Listen, Seiryuu. Those eyes are cursed eyes! I'll teach you how to control them, but never use them. If you use the power, the curse will come back to you. Your opponents' paralysis will become your paralysis. It's a double-edged sword! Besides, it's because of this power that we're always detested, or targeted…"_

He gritted his teeth to keep from screaming. All Ao wished was to tear the world apart. The world they lived in, which had chosen a boy like Seiryuu for such a fate, wasn't worth anything after all. The boy could barely handle paralyzing a bird or one of the other animals Ao brought to him for practice. It's not that he couldn't do it, because Seiryuu had from the beginning shown great promise with his powers. But Seiryuu would scream and fight him and sob and beg him to give him back the mask, and even though Ao knew what he was doing was torture for the boy, he had to. After the training Seiryuu would lay there on the floor completely paralyzed and traumatized, but that was good enough for Ao. If Seiryuu knew what those cursed powers meant and why they should never be used, then he had at least done his duty. And so Ao stood in the battlefield and suddenly, the previously mute boy spoke up, looking up at Ao hopefully,

" _Then…will I make friends…if I don't use my eyes…and protect the village with the sword?_ "

" _There's no way._ "

Suddenly the realization settled in his mind, softly like snow that had gathered and accumulated, just like how the darkness had slowly and gradually been eating away at his field of vision. Ao saw himself. The little him who had asked the very same question in his own heart. This boy was him, he always had been. That was why Ao had tried so hard. By trying to save this boy from disappointment, Ao had been trying to save himself. Sometimes there was just no way, but they had at least shared something significant whether that be Dragon's blood, a fate, or a fruit.

" _Ao, wait! Don't leave me alone!_ "

He didn't answer. If Ao could give him one gift in this world, he would give him his honesty. Ao never made promises he couldn't keep. But instead he held his hand out to the boy, knowing that he would grasp it. As they walked together, he knew that Seiryuu was smiling and Ao was thankful for the mask that had slipped back over his face because he didn't know whether to smile or to cry.

Ao hadn't known when he had come to love this boy and see him as his brother, but he prayed to the Blue Dragon God who had taken away everything from him to also take away this feeling. To take it away before it was too late. For though love was supposed to be beautiful, Ao only felt as if his heart was being ripped from his chest. But the Blue Dragon didn't answer, and Ao knew it was already too late. After all, he had hated and loved the child from the very beginning, the moment he had taken Ao from his solitude, and in return all Ao could give him was a fate just like his own.

But even so, somehow, someway, he was thankful. Because even if there was nothing truly eternal in this world, at least Ao had something. Even as the world disappeared, in his last hour, he had one child. Even if he was a hypocrite and full of contradictions because he hated himself and hated the child and hated more than anything the Blue Dragon, but he had also loved that child and the way the endless heavens had looked with those eyes the Blue Dragon had given him. But then, then, it was all gone.

" _I can't see…I can't see a thing anymore!_ "

The realization was sudden, after all he had been losing his vision so gradually that there was barely any change. But still there was nothing but endless night, the abyss. Suddenly a rush of wild elation sent him laughing to the heavens. He was free, free from everything, freed from the Dragon's curse, freed from his pain and suffering. He felt so light that he was sure he could step off the earth and fly despite the fact he was submerged in the greatest of darkness.

" _This is great! I can finally die!_ " He screamed until his voice was raw, " _There isn't any more of my power left! My body is numb! I'm free! I'm a human being!_ "

* * *

The tinkle of bells led Ao on. He knew that boy so well that he knew he had tied them onto his mask. He was walking only a few paces ahead in the voice, but he was there. The pattering of his feet through the grass, the whispers of his soft breath. But Ao couldn't remember in his foggy mind if the boy had the bells before.

" _Hm? Did you always have a bell?_ " Ao asked him as he laboriously pressed forward, his body was heavy and his mind wasn't working right.

" _I found it. They make a pretty sound…so…_ " Seiryuu said, sounding proud of his discovery and Ao knew he was preparing for him to tell the boy to throw them away. But Ao didn't think that and surprised both of them,

" _Huh. That's good. I can tell where you are, even if I can't see you._ " Ao admitted, because he was walking through the void, and it was only those sounds that let him know that Seiryuu was near. Ao heard the boy laugh and bound a few steps forward and shake his head to let the bells ring out in the still dawn. But Ao didn't laugh or smile. Ao had so much more he wanted to say, so much more he should say. But he didn't have enough time and he didn't know how. Now who would make sure the child ate? Seiryuu fell asleep everywhere so what if he caught a cold and then who would take care of him? What if he fell down and injured himself, who would care for him? So instead of asking all those questions that he would never have answered, he let his tears finally escape. The tears for himself, and for the life Seiryuu would live now, because who would ensure this boy's happiness?

" _Sorry…_ "

" _Eh?_ " Seiryuu whispered, unsure, but Ao just continued to cry.

" _I'm sorry that I'm leaving you alone. I'm sorry!_ " He sobbed so hard and wretched, and fell to the ground. He lay there crying, begging for forgiveness, because Ao was cruel to leave him alone but he had no choice. He was sorry because Seiryuu would have to live alone, and sorry because Ao never got up the courage to tell Seiryuu that he had been right all those years ago. Ao had loved him more than anything else in that empty, broken world they lived in.

I tried, He told the Blue Dragon as everything faded away, I did. It's really all so useless, but I tried my hardest and raised him the best that I could. So hear me now, you stupid God. He will be the one. I know it. He'll break this cycle, just watch. You chose the worst person to inhabit, because that boy is a sweet, cautious, and gentle idiot and I love him and he's my boy, my family. Not yours. He'll never belong to you and your fear like I did and Hwan did and a thousand other blue dragons before us. If anyone can do it…it's him.

And so Ao breathed his last breath, and ceased to exist.


	5. On Doing and Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the feels just keep coming.
> 
> In the anime, there is obviously a building carved from the side of the mountain while in the manga it was more discrete but still obvious. If the village of the Blue Dragon had to suddenly move to get away, there is no way that they could have just quickly built that space, so I wanted to extend on that question of mine to be a plot point in the chapter. And as stated before, quotes taken directly from source material do not belong to me but instead the copyright owners.
> 
> In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know I've been enjoying everyone who has left feedback, so please do continue to leave feedback! I hope you enjoy!~OMGitsgreen

_"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."_  
-Confucius

* * *

_"It's a curse…it's a curse but…Ao has been protecting this village!"_

It had rained every day since Seiryuu's predecessor had fallen in the fields of grass and died leading up to that fateful night. The sky had cracked open with peels of thunder and flashes of lightning, and the rain pounded the earth unforgivingly, as if the sky itself mourned the loss of a dragon. But the soldiers who had gotten wind of a village and its dark secret did not know that as they trudged through the mud. Perhaps, even, nature itself was warning them. And if they had listened close, maybe they would have heard the spirits of natural world crying out in warning and anguish for what would be their inevitable doom.

But who could blame them? The Age of Legends had long since passed, and a relic of that Age was not to be taken seriously. Dragons were supposed to only exist in myth, be beings of great and fantastic powers who men would bow down and worship. Even in human shape, they were to be awe-inspiring and blessed. Monsters, after all, were so much easier to defend against and defeat if they appeared in a golden ray of light as they descended from the heavens. The snake which bite from the shadows would always be far more deadly, because who would expect their death to come in the form of a child?

Chance encounters sometimes are the best of things, and sometimes the worst, but all set a person on the course of their destiny. If those poor souls had never unwittingly become a Dragon's meal perhaps a different fate would have been in store for one small boy. But instead, they had riled the Blue Dragon's village. A great punishment was to be inflicted, for the oaths of the First Blue Dragon were always to be upheld, even if the vessel of those oaths were unaware of them consciously at the time. The first of these oaths would one day be resurfaced, but that day was far away.

_"Wah…what happened?"_

The second of these promises, however, was fulfilled by the field of bodies strewn haphazardly in the mud.

_Ah…I'm sorry, Ao. This power was really something I shouldn't have used._

* * *

Chul-Suk had resided over the council of village elders for many decades, long since before his own daughter's son had fallen to the curse that plagued their tribe and she had thrown herself from a cliff in despair. He was steadfast and calm in the face of adversity outwardly, but burned with hatred inside that he hid easily with smiles. He watched on for a few moments as villagers screamed at one another, terrified of the events that had just occurred and knew the child had done his a great service. After all, now, he could finally have the revenge he had never been able to take on the boy's predecessor.

"Silence." He ordered with a tap of his cane to emphasize. Most of the villagers fell silent before one of them men stood up.

"We have to kill him!" He said but Nari, the female Elder who was in charge of the midwifery and medicine of the village held up her hand in protest.

"And damn another child to his fate? No. For the sake of the unborn, we must keep Lord Seiryuu alive as long as we can. That is our rule."

"Then what do we do?" Another man asked helplessly, and they all looked to Chul-Suk and the rest of the council for their words. Gi, who was in charge of the general management of the tribe looked to Chul-Suk.

"Do the ancestors have anything to say about situations like this?" He asked, stroking his beard out of nervous habit. Chul-Suk then chose that as the moment he rose from his seat and addressed the village who waited in silence for Chul-Suk's words.

"Tonight has been one of the most trying nights in our history, we must understand that. We are all worried, for the balance of our lives was nearly destroyed by the actions of Lord Seiryuu. It is understandable for us to be emotional as our livelihoods have been endangered. However, we must not panic. It is in the most trying of times that we must look back to our ancestors and the words our forefathers ascribed in anticipation of events such as these. It is those rules by which we must live our lives, not by the sway of our emotions. Now Gi, hand me the scroll."

Gi took the ornate box by Chul-Suk's seat and carefully took out the scroll that was within. That scroll had inscribed the rules that their ancestors had passed from each generation of elders to the next, and was the most important item in the possession of the council of elders. Chul-Suk stood up, allowing his cane to rest against the chair and spoke clearly as he read from the scroll,

 _"If the time comes, among the people in the clan, that a great tragedy arises and no longer can you live on the ancestral lands, do not stay. Flee to the west in the mountains, where the oracles of old once lived. There, find refuge among the rock as your fortress."_ Chul-Suk read calmly, and as soon as he finished another uproar of dissenting voices filled the hut.

"Then…we go to that accursed place? The Temple in the Mountains?" Nari asked in horror, "No oracle lives there any longer! It has been abandoned for centuries!"

"Not just abandoned, those tunnels are where they would lead girls down to be sacrificed. It is a haunted, unholy place." Gi said with a hiss. Chul-Suk grabbed his cane and hit his chair loudly, the resounding crack stunning all of those in attendance.

"Are you questioning the authority and wisdom of our ancestors?! These commands are not just for times of ease and comfort! These rules are our way of life! And it is these rules which have kept our whole way of life secured for a thousand years and shall continue to do so for a thousand years after!" He shouted and Gi's face turned pallid. "This is the ordinance of our ancestors, and we shall follow the rules! Rules are what separate us from the beasts, rules are what makes us human where the Blue Dragon is not! Anyone who disobeys threatens the order of our society and dissent will not be tolerated! In accordance with the rules, as of this instant, I order the clan to prepare to leave these lands by dawn tomorrow. Prepare only what you can carry for at dawn we go to the mountains. Anyone who does not wish to leave, will be promptly executed by order of the council of elders."

"That is too strict!" Nari argued and Chul-Suk gave her a glare.

"The first two of our rules, Nari. Speak them!"

 _"None shall leave the village who are bearers of the cursed blood. Outsiders are enemies who must never know of the Blue Dragon's existence."_ Nari repeated slowly, her face flushing with shame.

"Anyone who stays behind risks the breaking of those two rules and thus must be dealt with accordingly." Chul-Suk said before one of the women stood up, holding a sleeping babe to her chest.

"And what of the Blue Dragon? What if…what if he doesn't wish to leave? What will we do about him?"

"He will be punished, that I will make sure. But do not forget, though the Blue Dragon is a beast, he is still only a child. A child can be reasoned with. I will take up the mantle and go to him to explain."

"And what of punishment? How can you possible punish the Blue Dragon?" Gi asked and Chul-Suk gave him a calm look that did not portray the depth of his hatred before addressing the crowd.

"I promise you now that your grievances have been heard. The punishment will fit the crime. It will be a fate worse than death." The Elder said, walking out as the villagers nodded eagerly before going back to their own huts to prepare.

Chul-Suk looked up at the sky, knowing the longest night was upon them yet.

* * *

Seiryuu lay in his hut, his clothing stiff with dried mud and his mouth felt full of dirt as his muscles ached in agony while he tried to sit up. Seiryuu felt wrong. Everything was wrong. Nothing had been right since Ao had died, of course, but his eyes stilled ached and in his bones he could still feel him. Seiryuu had used that curse upon animals at Ao's command, as the elder tried to teach him control. To activate those powers required focus, to let loose the torrent behind his eyes and focus them outwards. This was to make sure that the concentration of the Dragon wasn't lost and then the power would backlash prematurely. A Blue Dragon had to completely decimate their enemies before their time was run out and the cursed backfired because after they were completely defenseless. He had done that like so many times before, but perhaps it was with Ao's death that the last barrier had been unlocked, and the Blue Dragon's abilities completely existed within him that caused it to be different.

It had been Seiryuu, but it hadn't been Seiryuu at the same time. Seiryuu had wanted to protect the village that Ao had protected, to keep the village from harm. But…but someone else had wanted to kill the soldiers. Someone else had reveled in the bloodshed and in the soldier's screams while Seiryuu had devoured them completely until there was no one left to oppose him. That person's thoughts had bled into his own thoughts, it had infected him and made him enjoy it all. That other person's thoughts had twisted him until Seiryuu was beyond recognition.

The dark understanding dawned on Seiryuu. Ao had been wrong, or maybe, he just hadn't warned Seiryuu.

The Blue Dragon hadn't just cursed him. The Blue Dragon lived inside of him. It lived inside of his eyes, ready for the moment when Seiryuu turned his powers on someone else and killed them and took joy in their agony and it hadn't been Seiryuu at all, it was the Blue Dragon inside of him and he was a monster-

The realization turned Seiryuu's stomach and he threw up helplessly on the floor. Seiryuu sobbed and heaved out the mud and rainwater until he was left shaking and wilted on the floor. It was then that the Elder walked into the hut. Seiryuu immediately tried to scramble away to protect him because he was a monster, but the Elder grabbed his arm in his tight grip and forced him to sit down.

"Lord Blue Dragon, do you realize what you have done?" The Elder demanded hotly, "You have endangered the village!"

Seiryuu wished to speak, he did. But no one but Ao had ever addressed him so directly before and he didn't know how to address the Elder back. His words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't get them to come out. Ao had understood that he got like that sometimes, but the Elder seemed to have no patience.

"We have to leave this place immediately, because of your actions. Does this please you?" The Elder said with a growl and Seiryuu shook his head.

"Village…in danger…protect." He tried to explain and pull away his arm to keep from inadvertently harming the older man, but his grip grew tighter and more unbearable.

"The outsiders learned of your powers because of that incomprehensible bastard who couldn't eliminate the outsiders like the Blue Dragons are duty-bound to do, and now we all must pay for your sins. Like always! Do you understand, this is all your fault?!" The Elder screamed and let go of his arm and Seiryuu just sat there, feeling sick as he held his arm as if he had been burned while he sat there in terror. "If it had been up to me, we would have just left you to die in the mud, but the others on the counsel wished to keep another child safe for now. But you are to now gather your things, like the rest of us, and we shall move."

"…move?" Seiryuu whispered clutching his hand.

"To the Temple in the Mountains. Once it housed oracles, but it has long since been abandoned. Now gather up anything you want, we leave at dawn." The Elder said walking to the door and past him, leaving Seiryuu sitting stunned in the hut.

They were leaving that place for a new home. Leaving behind the home that Ao had lived with him in. This made Seiryuu wish to cry harder because they had burned Ao's body on the funeral pyre and all Seiryuu had left was the scent of him in his robes or in the blankets and he certainly couldn't carry it all with him. But he did his best, grabbing a bag that he planned on bringing his most important things before surveying the hut. All of his important things were also Ao's most important things so he needed to be careful with them.

First was Ao's mask. Ao had hated wearing it, but it was what Seiryuu would one day wear when he outgrew his own mask. Next, was his box of necklaces which were traditional garb of the Blue Dragon (Ao had called them collars as he had pulled on his feathers, but had never taken them off). Necklaces left by the predecessor to the Dragon that followed were part of the rites that came from a Blue Dragon exiting boyhood and becoming a man. Ao had chosen a necklace or two for Seiryuu as well, but he wouldn't be allowed to wear them along with Ao's mask until he was a man. So Seiryuu placed that box carefully into his bag with the mask, as well as folding up their warmest blankets.

The last thing that caught his eye was the sword.

Seiryuu picked it up, still within its sheath and pulled it only a bit. The metal was dark and showed his reflection like a dark pool. His mask, covering his pale face, his lips turned into a frown. The sword was still too heavy and big for him to wield, but Ao had touched that sword, he had used it and it had given him strength. Seiryuu sheathed the sword before hugging the sword to his body firmly. That sword had protected many Blue Dragons, and holding it the way he was he only had a single prayer left that would never come true,

"Ao…please...come home…!"

* * *

The Temple in the Mountain had once been the dwelling and resting place of priests who wished to live not only with austerity, but also to gain better communion with the Gods through their suffering. They had carved out a significant portion of the mountain in caverns and passageways and cloisters, and before the time of the red-haired king, it would be the host of plenty of human sacrifices in the name of the Gods. But with the red-haired king those practices had been long since banned, and with King Junam's era and the eradication of the oracles no longer did anyone visit the once holy grounds.

They arrived by nightfall, to the new dwelling place of the village of the Blue Dragon. Because The Temple in the Mountain had been so feared, it had not been touched, so all of the villagers immediately went to work lighting as many torches they could and filling as many fire pits with large flames so that the thick darkness could be banished. Tapestries were hung, and every family claimed a room for themselves. Seiryuu had been kept apart and brought up in a wagon, and as soon as he set foot in the caverns he had been quickly ushered off.

The Elders walked in front Seiryuu as the guided him through the caverns. Seiryuu could see everything, and even in the dark his vision worked fine, but along the way the elders placed wood on the walls to alight lanterns and Seiryuu dragged his belongs along while the sheath of the sword scraped the floor. Further up towards the surface he had heard the echoes of the other villagers speaking as they tried to make sense of their new surroundings, but those had faded away until the only noises were the jingling of his bells, the scraping of the sword, the crackling of wood, and the hurried pace of the Elders.

Finally they reached what seemed to be an empty room, far underground and away from the rest of the village. Elder Chul-Suk pointed into the room.

"Until we can find a more suitable confinement for you, this will be your place. You are not allowed to leave this room without the permission of the Elders, because this place is a maze and we will not have you wandering and dying when we've already gone through so much trouble. You will be given rations, but under no circumstances will you be allowed outside of this cave. The outside world must never learn of your cursed powers ever again." Elder Chul-Suk said as the other male elder put down a small bag of what Seiryuu imagined was food into the little cavern.

"A-alone…" Seiryuu whispered, feeling his teeth chattering out of the cold and the fear. Because he was so far down he couldn't even hear any of the other villagers, because he had to use the power of his eyes to even see them through the rocks. The Elder seemed to almost smile at his fear, at his trembling hands.

"This is for the sake of our village, Blue Dragon. Surely you understand that this is your fault and the fault of you predecessor. Remember the rules which guide our lives, for it is these rules which keeps you alive to be scared. Your existence is a great punishment upon our tribe, and as such it is only right that you are also punished as well. Now, reflect on what you have done."

And so they left Seiryuu alone, the light of their torches slowly fading away and leaving him in the darkness. With trembling fingers he pulled the sword and the blankets and cocooning himself on the floor in the silence and the darkness. He held the sword in its sheath with all of his might and closed his eyes to remember, remember laying on the floor of the little hut, sitting next to Ao as they weaved baskets together with straw and Ao told him stories as the birds chittered in the tree in the front of the house. Seiryuu had asked him for a story, because Seiryuu had wanted to go outside and try to play with the birds but Ao had made him come in and help. Ao was good at telling him stories to pass the time, and that would make the fact he wasn't outside playing feel less disappointing. And though Ao made a fuss, he always indulged Seiryuu in that little pleasure, and so he opened his mouth and spun a tale,

_"Once upon a time, there was a giant tree in the forest. Many birds lived in this tree. And the wisest of them was their leader. One day the leader bird saw two branches rubbing against each other. The rubbing was making wood powder come falling down. Then he noticed a tiny wisp of smoke rising from the rubbing branches. He thought, "There is no doubt a fire is starting that may burn down the whole forest."_

_"So the wise old leader called a meeting of all the birds living in the great tree. He told them, "My dear friends, the tree we are living in is beginning to make a fire. This fire may destroy the whole forest. Therefore it is dangerous to stay here. Let us leave this forest at once!"_

_The wise birds agreed to follow his advice. So they flew away to another forest in a different land. But the birds who were not so wise said, "That old leader panics so easily. He imagines crocodiles in a drop of water! Why should we leave our comfortable homes that have always been safe? Let the scared ones go. We will be brave and trust in our trees!"_

_Lo and behold, in a little while the wise leader's warning came true. The rubbing branches made sparks that fell in the dry leaves under the tree. Those sparks became flames that grew and grew. Soon the giant tree itself caught fire. The foolish birds who still lived there were blinded and choked by the smoke. Many, who could not escape, were trapped and burned to death."_

_"That's not…a fun ending…" Seiryuu explained with a pout and Ao gave his hair a ruffle._

_"The moral is to always listen to your elders. Now shush and let's just keep going. We need somewhere to put all the blankets I got." Ao said with a chuckle. ___

__And so Seiryuu lay there, trying to remember the exact cadence of that chuckle, the way Ao's golden eyes had looked so pretty in the midday sun. But he was alone in the darkness, and no matter how hard he wished, he could never remember quite right._ _


	6. When He Is Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just got a tumblr, and it's been a load of fun so far! Follow me at itsomgitsgreenblogging and ask me questions or request stuff (you can also do that anonymously) and I will be sure to deliver to the best of my abilities!
> 
> So glad to get this chapter done and was very much surprised at how long it turned out to be. I hope everyone enjoyed your Seiryuu fix of the day, and if you would like, leave a review to let me know you care! In any case, thanks so much everyone! Hope you all enjoy, I love you all!~OMGitsgreen

_There is nothing more visible than what is secret, and nothing more manifest than what is minute. Therefore the superior man is watchful over himself, when he is alone._

-Confucius

* * *

_"Long ago, the Red Dragon God descended from heaven in order to build a kingdom upon Earth, but was betrayed by those who he held dear who forgot the Gods in their wickedness and the kingdom fell. The red-haired king was seized by those who wished power and was set to be killed. That was when the other Dragon Gods came to retrieve him and bring him back to heaven. However the red-haired king said to the heavenly host of dragons,"_

_"No, I am human now. Even if humans hate me and betray me, I cannot stop my love for them."_

_"One could not question the nobility of the red-haired king and his everlasting love of humans, and through his love the humans could be redeemed. But some humans, like the red-haired king, are just as steadfast in their hatred and fear as the king was in love. They chose the wrong path and are lead into darkness. But one cannot control others, and instead, should always aim to love, despite what hatred is brought against them." The man told his daughter as she rested against his chest. The daughter looked up at her father's eyes with the kind of love that only exists between a daughter and father and smiled._

_"I will be like the red-haired king! I'll always love." She said proudly and the father kissed the girl good night and lay her down before going to bed with his own wife._

_"Goodnight, love." The man said and his wife smiled back before she kissed him in return._

_"Good night, Chul-Suk."_

* * *

In the village of the Blue Dragon it was generally accepted that a boy came of age and became a true man at the age of fourteen or around that general time. This was usually marked with a modest celebration on the behalf of the family, the village elders recognized that boy as a man, and there was general festivities and merrymaking which comprised of the boy having his first drink of sake, the telling of embarrassing stories on the unfortunate behalf of the boy who had become a man, and the toasting the good life and health. This did not mean that child would move from the parent's home, because that only occurred when a boy married, but the matchmaking processes would begin. This was a long and arduous process that took between five or six years that and was full of rules that generally caused at least two fist fights and four interventions from the council of elders per couple.

The ceremony for a Blue Dragon was a much more serious affair.

Or at least that is what he was finding out as Seiryuu kneeled before the council of elders in light white robes. Seiryuu could tell Elder Chul-Suk was looking at him with barely veiled distain, but also knew that this was only natural. It was either that, or fear, and Seiryuu always hated it when children ran away and cried in his presence or adults visibly cringed. It only served to deepen the pit in his belly of sadness.

"Proceed with the ceremony." Elder Chul-Suk ordered and immediately a bucket of spring water was dumped over his head and shoulders by two of the Elders, splashing onto the floor and completely soaking his white robe. The frigid cold slammed into his skin with force, making his teeth chatter uncontrollably before he was partitioned off by a screen and offered the traditional garb of the Blue Dragon. He changed quickly, trying to get out the soaked white robes and dried off as fast as he could, despite the fumbling off his numbed fingers. The blue shirt and black pants came on first, but had obviously been meant for someone much larger than Seiryuu at that moment as the hung loose and past his extremities. The boots also shared this same problem by being too big, but were at least lined with fur that gave his toes relief. Finally came the ceremonial robe that covered both the shirt and the pants, thick and lined with white fur and tied close with a sash.

As soon as he was prepared, he resumed the prostrating position, his head turned downwards as one of the younger members of the council presented him the box of necklaces and the mask. Seiryuu tried to swallow down the funny feeling in his throat of seeing what was within the box again before he clasped the necklaces within around his neck with utmost care. The first was a necklace of green and blue beads that hung comfortably at his neck, while the other was comprised of golden circles which hung down upon his neck. Necklaces both chosen by his predecessor for that very moment and for Seiryuu to wear for the rest of his life.

His fingers stilled at the sight of that mask. Larger and heavier with horns, cracked with age and weighted with hatred. Putting it on sent a shiver through his already chilled veins as he laborious loosened his own mask, hearing the intakes of breath in fear by the elders as he did so, before quickly replacing it with the new mask and tying on his bells to one of the horns while he did so. The elders released their held breaths as soon as they thought it was safe and Elder Chul-Suk stood up and addressed Seiryuu directly.

"With the water you are purified, with the ceremonial garb you are given your duties which you must uphold, and with the mask you have been given your rightful title. You have completed the rites of the coming of age ceremony, and are now the holder of the true title of Lord Seiryuu."

In return to these words Seiryuu just bowed deeper until his bells clinked against the floor of the cave before standing up slowly, surely looking a bit silly in his far-too-large clothes. If he could have, he would have asked to have some time to take them in a bit before the ceremony, but he was positive if he had he would've ripped them or something bad would have happened. He'd never really had much luck in terms of tailoring before. Besides, Seiryuu had a habit of outgrowing things quickly. And so Seiryuu was hopeful he would grow into the clothes he was wearing at least a little more.

On a less practical note, Seiryuu also had the uncontrollable urge to flap his arms like a bird just to feel that satisfying sensation of making the too-long sleeves swish through the air, but that thought was wholly inappropriate for such a formal ceremony. At least that he was sure of. And even if he did flapping his arms would make the back of his neck even colder than it already was so that wouldn't feel very pleasant.

As if sensing Seiryuu's wandering thoughts Elder Chul-Suk tapped his cane upon the ground and stated,

"You are now fully responsible to do your duties of protecting the clan, Seiryuu. I hope you understand the importance of this. And while you are attending to these duties, you must always remember your greatest rules. Speak them!"

"Outsiders…are enemies who must never know of…the Blue Dragon's existence." Seiryuu croaked, his voice a gravely whisper from lack of use, "The world…must never learn of this power…of destruction."

"Good." Elder Chul-Suk said before Seiryuu bowed again and then left the room of the council for his own cavern. He walked quickly along the tunnels, making sure to use the least traveled tunnels to avoid scaring the villagers before arriving back at his own room. Seiryuu paced a few steps before sitting back down a deciding the best way to keep the too long sleeves and pant legs from bothering him was to bind them to his body and then proceeding to do so while his thoughts clunked around in his head noisily.

The back of his neck and ears were cold from where his hair was dripping, but the rest of him was pleasantly warm. This was a change from before because normally all of Seiryuu was almost always cold, but at least at that moment he only had to worry about one part of himself. Seiryuu turned over the idea in his head of simply letting his hair grow out, like his predecessor's had been (at least he was pretty sure that had been the case). But quickly he decided against it, mostly because when Seiryuu had let it grow out it had always gotten knotted and hard to control. Seiryuu in general liked to keep things as simple as he could, because it was easy to manage things like that.

As Seiryuu finished binding the sleeve on his right hand to his arm, he began to wonder in general about what he was supposed to be doing at that moment. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. Seiryuu was quite sure of what he needed to do moment to moment. But instead he was pondering the general implications of the ceremony that had just taken place. He was supposed to be an adult now (at fourteen though, one could hardly be considered so in actuality). But what were adults supposed to do? Did adults have different ways of doing things then children did? Like did they do different things before going to bed or cleaning up or eating? Seiryuu didn't really want to change how he did anything because he felt like in his own capacity he was able to get plenty done, and he also didn't feel physically different than he had that morning when he had still been a child except a bit wetter and more pleased with his outfit.

Well, he thought to himself, maybe he could at least start doing perimeters outside of the caves. Seiryuu wouldn't go far, but he would still be fulfilling his promise that he now had to keep as an adult. Also with his eyes he could see the sun shining and the blue sky and he thought it was just be nice to practice his swordsmanship in the nice weather as a reward for becoming an adult even though hadn't really done much, and he also might find something good to eat in the forest. And so after binding the sleeves and pant legs securely to his body and making sure that his mask was secured on his face, he grasped his sword and pack and made his way out of his cave.

Seiryuu made sure to walk through the tunnels that many villagers avoided but he still ended up in the common area to gather a few things. Around him the conversation paused and villagers moved back which was normal, except for one woman in the corner, surrounded by her kin who was wailing over a child's shirt. Seiryuu turned his attention to her and immediately the husband of the woman gasped.

"Shush, love. Lord Seiryuu is near, we mustn't bother him!" The husband said but the woman just shook her head and continued to moan in grief. Unsure Seiryuu approached them, causing them to scramble back a step and stare at him in fear before bowing before him. "I'm sorry Lord Seiryuu for b-bothering you! Please forgive us!"

Seiryuu wanted to explain that he wasn't being bothered by them, but instead was worried for them, but the woman just sobbed louder and buried her face into the child's shirt.

"Why? Why did he have to go to the forest?"

"…forest?" Seiryuu asked, shifting from one foot to the other.

"He was killed by the wolves that live in the forest below, Lord Seiryuu." The man said continuing to bow deeply before having his family gather the woman up and bring her back down the tunnel, the echoing of her sobs resounding through the rocks. The rest of the clan continued to whisper as the family disappeared,

"So sad…"

"That's the third one in so many days. The first one died of sweating and fits when he got away!"

"What can you do? The boys went down to the forest without a care in the world. You've got to be more careful than that. The Elders are holding a council anyways, so we'll know what to do."

Seiryuu couldn't help but frown, but made up his mind. He was supposed to be an adult now, and the Blue Dragon was meant to protect the village from harm. That was one of the rules. If there were wolves that were preying on children from the village then it was his responsibility to take care of that problem, at least in some way.

He, at least, would try to help in any way he could.

* * *

It was midday in the lands, and a pleasant breeze blew through the valleys carrying the sweet scents of persimmon trees and wildflowers. That day there was not a single cloud in the sky, leaving it a shade so vibrant that it almost hurt the eyes to gaze upon and many of the cave dwellers of the village of the Blue Dragon had to shield their eyes before even attempting to walk outside. But Seiryuu had no such fear as he exited out from an obscure exit in the mountain, away from the rest of the clan, and he looked upon the sea of grass and the forest without the slightest of discomfort.

Seiryuu from his perch could see amazing things. The minute lives of little earth creatures who scurried in the dirt and through the grasses, far off villages and peoples, but most importantly the heavens, which at night he could see was filled with constellations and galaxies that humans had not even dreamed of. Once he had dreamed of laying beneath those stars for a whole night, just watching as the earth moved and heavens showed its glorious display as the unnamed celestial objects sparkled and shown more precious than any jewel. But Seiryuu knew that such a dream would only be a dream, and the coffin-like caverns he lived in were for not only his protection but that of the whole world. But still in those private moments when he went outside and looked at the stars, he felt more at peace then he ever had before.

He turned his attention from the sky to the lands sprawling beneath the mountain. Seiryuu had never tracked any animal before, but figured catching a wolf would be easier than perhaps a bird, and the wolf in question was a huge white wolf (if the villagers weren't exaggerating). White would be an easy color to pick out against the mostly green and brown landscape. He had decided the best plan of action was to go to where the boys had been attacked and then see what he could do from there.

Seiryuu quickly descended from the mountain and quickly made his way through the woods, knowing that the children had been killed by the stream where many villagers fished. As soon as he arrived, he soaked in the sun and the wonderful cacophony of life which surrounded him, the silence filled with the tweeting of birds and the canopy, the rustling of small creatures in the underbrush, and the gurgling of the stream. He looked around the streambed, taking a note of anything that appeared to be animal tracks before deciding that perhaps the best thing he could do would be to maybe lure out the wolf before suddenly he heard the sound of people approaching. Knowing he would surely get into trouble being caught so far from the mountain, Seiryuu panicked and quickly ascended a tree and hid within the branches as he aimed to make no sound to alert those approaching of his presence.

Seiryuu was even further worried as he saw some of the boys his own age approaching the river while laughing and joking amongst themselves, pulling along a few other boys along with them who didn't look so sure. This immediately reminded him of an important lesson he had been taught long ago that still echoed in his ears, as did many of those lessons, and he tried to grasp at it through the wisps of his mind.

_(Once a fox who stood under a tree was hit by a twig fallen on his back. He then closed his eyes for he did not like to see the tree. Soon after, he went to an open field to hunt for mice and would not return even when night fell. Later, however, when he saw the branches and the leaves of the tree wavering up and down in the wind, he said to himself, "The tree must be calling me." He then went back under the tree where he had got hit earlier and got hit once more. So remember, Seiryuu, when you learn a lesson, to always remember that lesson, or else you will continue to be hit like the fox)_

"Elder Chul-Suk said we aren't supposed to come here!" One of the boys said, while the leader of the group gave him a laugh.

"Why? You scared? Well I'm hungry and the best fish are found in this stream. There isn't any way I'm going to let a stupid wolf get in the way of eating." The leader stated before rolling up his pants. "Alright, now who's in?"

The boys eventually all caved in, the promise of freshly roasted fish overriding their sense of danger while the all got into the stream and tried to catch the fish with their bare hands, as was the general game among young boy before catching a substantial amount and starting a fire. Seiryuu couldn't help but feel his own belly ache in hunger as the scent of roasted fish rose through the trees, because he had only had a small bowl of the rice that was allotted to him for breakfast and hadn't brought anything to eat for lunch. Seiryuu wished he could have asked for some, because he was staring at the fish from his hiding spot, watching in awe as fat dripped and the skin browned so nicely and left white, juicy flesh beneath, but he knew that he couldn't. Seiryuu didn't want to interrupt their day and scare them away because it was obvious that they were having fun as they laughed and played amongst themselves and that deep ache, even more prevalent than hunger always rose within him.

Seiryuu was okay with loneliness, as long as he could at the very least keep the people around him safe. Doing that made him at least feel needed, and that was enough to make him happy. Seiryuu was absorbed in those thoughts, but not absorbed enough that he didn't catch the rustling in the underbrush and faint growling.

The boys heard it too, and still before running off screaming as a white wolf dove from the underbrush at them. Seiryuu had been tensed and ready for a fight and immediately jumped from the tree to put himself between the wolf and the boys who ran through the woods and out of sight.

Seiryuu had his sword drawn as the white wolf growled and frothed at the mouth a wound at its shoulder. It had once been a beautiful, majestic thing. A wolf with plush fur as white as the snowcapped mountains that would have glinted silver in the moonlight, a sleek toned body, and eyes as amber as honey. Maybe once it had been the alpha of a pack, had a mate and wolf cubs to care for, and had run free amongst the trees in the forest which had been blushed with the colors of the evening sun.

But those days were no more.

This wolf was sick, he realized sadly. Rabid, so it was not attacking humans out of malice. It hadn't chosen to become like this, and now it was Seiryuu's duty to free it from its suffering for the sake of the village and for its own sake. Seiryuu and the wolf circled each other, neither of them willing to make a move until Seiryuu stepped on a branch, causing a loud crack and spurring the wolf to lunge forward with its eyes bulging and every inch of hair standing on end. Seiryuu kicked back the wolf with all of his might, flinging it back against the ground and stunning it long enough to bring his sword clean through the neck of the wolf who just looked at Seiryuu with wide eyes and whimpered and jerked.

"Hush, brother." Seiryuu told the wolf softly, "No more…suffering. Free now."

He gave the wolf a pat before yanking the sword from its body, making it jerk and expire, blood and foam dripping from its mouth. He quickly walked over to the stream, cupping water in his hand to wash the illness from the wolf's muzzle, and let the stream wash the blood from his sword (putting out the fire and taking one of the leftover fish from it to eat while he did so). As soon as this was done, he hoisted the wolf's body in the bag over his shoulder, despite its heaviness, and began to make his way back to the village. It was hard because the wolf was heavy, but he made it back to the village by the time the sun had set.

He could tell there was a great unrest within the village, after all Seiryuu had been gone for some time at that point and surely the Elders had taken notice. As soon as he walked in with the wolf across his back Elder Chul-Suk gave his cane a tap and made all present fall silent.

"Seiryuu, what is this?" Elder Chul-Suk ordered, "You leave this cave for hours without telling anyone where you are going? Is this meant to be your idea of a joke?"

Seiryuu in response placed the bag down and pulled it away to reveal the slain wolf. All in attendance gasped at the sight and Elder Nari stepped forward, her face drawn and pale.

"Is this the wolf that attacked the boys today? You killed it?" Elder Nari said and Seiryuu just nodded slowly.

"He has broken the rules-"

"He did his duty." Elder Nari said, cutting off Elder Chul-Suk coolly, "And saved a few more people from falling to a similar fate. At least grant him this."

"Very well. A reprieve then." Elder Chul-Suk said sounding generally bothered. "But I will not have a repeat of this behavior. Let the families of the deceased decide what to do with the body. Lord Seiryuu, please retire back to your room."

Seiryuu bowed before the elders, before returning to his room.

* * *

About a week later Seiryuu was given an unexpected present as he walked through the commons of the villagers. The woman who had been crying over the death of her son approached him, as well as the mothers of the two other boys killed, shaking in fear before getting on their knees before him, eyes turned down, and offering him a plume of white fur.

"For you, Lord Seiryuu. For taking revenge for our children, it was only right that we give you this token." The women said, just about forcing the fur into his hands before running off. Seiryuu went back to his room, admiring and stroking the white fur of his fallen adversary. He didn't have much in terms of hope, but what he had in his hands was precious.

He didn't ever expect a thank you for what he had done. Seiryuu had just done what was right in the situation. Even if it was just in little ways, Seiryuu had promised himself that he would protect the villagers and help them as much as he could because even if the villagers hated or despised him, Seiryuu still cared for them.

And so Seiryuu stitched the fur haphazardly and placed the white fur wig on his head, finally (thankfully) feeling his neck and ears warm up.


	7. The Soul Unawakened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FEELS FEELS FEELS
> 
> Ao is literally one of the best characters in Akayona. She always makes every scene a delight to watch with her antics.
> 
> In case you guys were wondering, the meeting of Seiryuu and Ao with the leaf has a basis in one of the extra chapters by Kusanagi-sensei.
> 
> You guys are all awesome and I love you. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and know that while the past two chapters have most been dealing with the inter-area between canon, next time we will be getting back into canon area. Please enjoy ~OMGitsgreen

_"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."_

-Anatole Francis

* * *

The First Blue Dragon was an enigma to those of the village of the Blue Dragon. They had long since forgotten the stories, long since forgotten the nobility of its blood, as well as the great purpose for the powers. However, they had old stories. Old rules that still the elders looked upon when making their decisions.

It had been discovered within the first few generations. If a Blue Dragon had children of their own, those children would be far more likely to become Blue Dragons themselves. In fact, it was almost guaranteed. Why this was, was unclear to the council of elders. However it was assumed like hair color and height that some things were destined to be passed from father to son, and that somehow the ability for the Blue Dragon's curse to latch on to a child was one of those things. And so, because the village's greatest hope was the eradication of the Blue Dragon, the Blue Dragon was strictly forbidden from marrying and intimate contact of any sort.

There were also traits one had to be careful of, for parents with them were also more likely to give birth to the Dragons. It was unlucky to know a quiet woman, worrisome to love a man who was quick with a sword, but dangerous to marry someone with a knack for animals. It was just the way it was. Some people were just unlucky. They certainly weren't blamed when the child was born because they had little control over the curse which afflicted the whole village. Everyone knew and understood that all too well.

However, when they found one or both parents dead, they also didn't mourn.

And so every Blue Dragon would be born, live with their predecessor until their death, and then continue on alone until the next Blue Dragon was born. It was just the way of the rules, and it was the rules that kept them safe. But that did not keep Seiryuu from dreaming as he sneaked through the shadows to take his spot outside a cavern every night. He listened for mothers to whisper stories to their children of people in the sky who cried and made the heavens drip with tears, of a princess on the moon and her beloved woodcutter, a barren grandmother who with a love and a wish turned a peach into a boy that she could love as her own. He would closed his eyes and imagine older brothers, a scratchy blanket, the sweet taste of persimmons upon his lips, and the warm brush of a mother's kiss as the embers slowly dimmed until gentle darkness and sweet dreams took him.

But those were sweet figments, and sweet dreams never did come true.

* * *

It is said that time moves slowly, trickles like water down a narrow path leisurely, and in no absolutely no rush. However if one does not pay attention in the next moment that small path has become a canyon, cutting swaths across space and time.

And so the days Seiryuu spent suffered from a very similar phenomenon. They strung along, an endless routine that he constantly moved through as if walking through the dense fog that swept through the mountains. He practiced the sword and got stronger and faster with each day as he sharpened his skills. Seiryuu did what he could to protect the village by staying hidden and discouraging travel too close to the village by cutting down trees before pathways and things of the like, and he also practiced things that could keep the loneliness from his mind like sewing or star gazing. One year passed, and then another. Suddenly, before he had even realized it, he was sixteen. A tall boy who had grown into his features and into his loveliness. Those who caught glimpses past the mask as he walked by couldn't help but be in awe of his delicately sculpted face, those eyes so sad and soulful that pierced the heart in a way different then paralysis. Where the past generation had been rough, the current Lord Seiryuu was as pale and beautiful as the moon, but also they thought as cold and deadly as the night.

He was still alone, and became used to loneliness. That's not to say that the loneliness did not bother him, because it very much did. But Seiryuu only noticed his own loneliness when he realized that he had forgotten what his own voice sounded like, or when he sewed extra blankets and realized that there were too many for him and he had no one to give them to. Like the passage of time, if he ignored the ache, the loneliness soon faded away and he was left empty, which was certainly better than being sad or lonely. Seiryuu spent most of his time alone and away from the rest of the village except for when he was called before the council of elders and even then they did not have much to say to him beside curt greetings. This was because, unlike his predecessors, Seiryuu was not breaking any rules. Seiryuu did not see the need to break rules, because he had come to accept that the dark caves they lived in were for the protection of everyone. In fact, he had realized the world was better off with him within those caverns. Seiryuu knew it was his fate to be hated, because he was an unnatural creature, so spending those endless days doing the good that he could would at least make up for a fraction of his sins. He was not afraid of the villager's hatred, or of being alone.

It was the nights that he feared.

_He would remember. Again and again the images assaulted his mind, ripping through any sense of comfort the day light hours had given him and leave him breathless, skin crawling, out of his mind in fear and disgust._

_It was always that battlefield. Always that cold rain that pounded against his skin and left him feeling numb, always those vivid screams and cries as he tore the outsider's hearts from their chests and watched them squirm in the mud like earthworms that he squashed with those dragon eyes. Seiryuu had heard their sobs, their begged moans for mercy but hadn't even thought of giving them that. Even as the blood vessels in their eyes popped and foam and bile spewed from their mouths and they died in the mud like animals Seiryuu wouldn't stop. He wouldn't want to stop._

_**Give me more.**_

_"Stop it!" Seiryuu screamed as he tore at his ears, trying to make it go away but the invasive voice just continued to laugh on at his agony, at Seiryuu's expense, scraping along the insides of his ears like fingernails against the cavern walls._

_**Stop? But you are the one wanted this.**_

_"You're wrong!" He sobbed, shaking his head desperately. "I never wanted any of this! All I wanted was to protect-"_

_**Now, now. It's not good to lie.**_

_"No!"_

_**What do you mean no?** It purred in his ears, soft like a summer breeze. **You enjoyed yourself so much, and I enjoyed myself. This is what we are. You are a dragon, and dragons devour all in their way. Look, Seiryuu. Look at the claw mark of our power. Don't you see, Seiryuu?**_ **To live is to devour others.**

_"No! No, I won't let you devour anyone else! I'll never let you out ever again! I'll protect everyone from you!"_

_**You? How cold. We are one and the same.**_

_"I'm nothing like you! I'm not you! You are the Blue Dragon and I'm-"_

He physically jerked out of his dream, but lay frozen and unable to move due to his absolute terror, the darkness crushing him and making it hard to breath. He waited a few moments for the ghost of paralysis to lift from his chest and when he finally regained ability over himself he was drenched in a cold sweat, with his stomach threatening to heave out anything he had eaten. He looked through the rocks and to the sky for comfort but found none, the world outside darker then night as clouds continued showering the mountainsides with frigid rain, hearing the dripping of rainwater as it slid through the cracks and splattered against the rock floors. The incessant noise droned on which caused those memories he feared the most to bubble up from his unwilling subconscious. Seiryuu could almost taste the mud, hear the thunder cracking, see the eyes of those he had murdered film over dull like…like his had as they expired in the mud and were left desecrated by his eyes.

Seiryuu hated it. Hated that person who had killed those people. Seiryuu hated him, Seiryuu-

Hated himself.

_(Once upon a time, Seiryuu, there was a man and his wife who shared three cakes. On the third, they made a bet that whoever talked first loses his share of the cake. After this, they stopped talking. In no time, a thief forced his way into the house to rob valuable things. The couple saw that everything fell into the thief's hand without uttering a sound, due to the bet they had made previously. Seeing that they said nothing, the thief started to attack the wife in the presence of her husband who still would not utter a word. Then she shouted to her husband,_

_"How stupid you are! You wouldn't shout only because of a cake."_

_Clapping his hand in joy, the husband said, "Oh! My girl. I'll get the cake. I won't give you any of it."_

_Upon hearing the story, everyone nearby laughed at them._

_You must remember this, Seiryuu. Humans are like that. They'll do whatever it takes to get what they want, and they'll let others get hurt. You can't be like them, because if you hurt people for what you want, the consequences will be dire. No matter what, you should never use your powers.)_

"Please forgive me….please." Seiryuu whispered to that important person as he curled up onto his side as he knew dreamless sleep would evade him, hands clenched over the mask, over those monstrous eyes. "You taught me so much…and I tried to learn. But…but you didn't teach me how to live without you. How…? Tell me…Ao…"

The only response was the sound of water dripping endlessly on.

* * *

The rain had been coming down so hard for days that many in the village wondered if it would ever end. Seiryuu had started to become restless. He didn't like the cold and the rain, but he also disliked not being able to practice his swordsmanship outside. So, Seiryuu decided that the moment that the rain let up, even if it was a little, he would venture out to practice for as long as the weather would allow him to.

And so when the rain finally settled into a dreary drizzle, Seiryuu set out for the clearing in the woods where he always practiced. It was cold and wet, and he struggled to set down his things where they wouldn't become soaked, but still pleasant to stretch his legs and exercise as he moved from form to form in an effortlessly pattern that his body remembered from countless practices. The sword was a warm, familiar weight in his hand, its song as it cut through the air swift and sharp. The sword was a comfort, and a dutiful and loyal companion whose presence Seiryuu would always be grateful for, because it was through the sword that he felt the most connected with the person he had lost.

He had just finished his drills and had turned to his pack and noticed a small creature sitting up upon the rock by the tree he had rested his bag under. It was tiny and soaked and shivering in the rain, but Seiryuu looked at it and the creature looked back. Seiryuu stood there for a moment completely frozen, waiting for it to run away or hide, but instead it just continued to look on at him with huge eyes as if asking for something.

But what? What was it asking for?

Seiryuu looked around for something he could do, before settling on the huge leaf he saw resting on the ground. He picked it up, using it to shield the creature so he could get a better look at it and then see if it was injured, only to have the squirrel immediately take a bite out of it.

Hungry. It was hungry.

His thoughts started racing, and he quickly looked around, trying to gather as many acorns and nuts that he could from the ground, rubbing them upon his robes to clean them. Seiryuu slowly inched towards the squirrel, gingerly, gently-gently and slowly placing one of the acorns upon the rock. He waited again, thinking that the squirrel at any moment would sense danger from him. But to his surprise, the squirrel began to crack open the shell and eat. As soon as he finished, Seiryuu offered the rest of the nuts within his hands, and the squirrel immediately began to eat of them as well.

Seiryuu but sit down and join the creature, not caring about if he got wet.

"You should…save…some." Seiryuu told the squirrel that just looked into his eyes as if confused. Seiryuu was surprised at how light and soft his voice sounded then, unlike the usual rough, cracking hiss like branches trampled underfoot that usually rose from his throat when he spoke. That voice was quiet and warm like a summer breeze, and he found he liked the sound of it. "You never know…on another…rainy day you might not…have anyone to give you food."

The squirrel continued to eat and then squeaked once, the sound pleased and happy. Seiryuu could almost hear a voice, but oh! I'm hungry now! Why should I wait when I am hungry now?

"Well…there's a story I know… that explains. The person who…looked after me told it…to me. It's that… farmer discovers gold on his land… even though at first he thought it must be a very hard tree root. But when he uncovered it…he saw that it was beautiful shining gold. Since it was daytime he was afraid to try and take it with him. So he covered it up again and waited for nightfall.

The poor farmer returned in the middle of the night…Again he uncovered the golden treasure. He tried to lift it, but it was…heavy. He tied ropes around it and tried to drag it. But it was so huge he couldn't budge it an inch. He became frustrated…thinking he was lucky to find a treasure…and unlucky to not be able to take it with him. Then he sat down and…thought… He decided the only thing to do was to break the lump of gold into four smaller lumps. Then he could carry home one piece at a time.

He thought, "One lump I will use for ordinary day-to-day living. The second lump I will save for a rainy day. The third lump I will invest in my farming business. And I will gain merit with the fourth lump by giving it to the poor and needy and for other good works."

With a calm mind he divided the huge lump of gold into these four smaller lumps. Then it was easy to carry them home on four separate trips. Afterwards he lived happily... because he decided to break it up…to portion. So…you should portion too. And be…careful."

His throat was sore from speaking so much, and he was pleased that he was able to tell a story, even if he hadn't been anywhere as good as Ao. Ao's voice when he told stories was deep and soothing, and had curled around him like stepping into a stream on a warm day and had made all hurts go away. Seiryuu wasn't a born storyteller, but he was happy. Obviously Seiryuu hadn't expected any kind of response as he stood up to pick up his bag, he turned to leave and took a few steps, only to realize the squirrel was following after him. Seiryuu frowned and looked at the squirrel which just stared back at him with wide, dark eyes.

He turned back and settled on the ground once more. Seiryuu looked at the creature as he tried to shoo it with a movement of his hands. For a few moments the squirrel did not move before giving a squeak. The squirrel then just cocked its head to the side, before hoping away back into the underbrush and then up the maple tree.

* * *

Over the next few weeks when the rain let up, Seiryuu made his way to the clearing and always either found the squirrel upon the rock or watched as it scurried from the handsome maple tree it lived in. Seiryuu continued on with his swordsmanship training, waiting for it to leave as he swung the blade through the air. Waiting for it to sense danger. However the squirrel just continued to sit upon the rock as it chewed on acorns until Seiryuu was done and when Seiryuu brought his lunch with him, he would timidly share a few pieces with the creature before it scurried back up the tree and Seiryuu left for the caverns he knew as home. It became a familiar routine as the weeks carried on, until one day when Seiryuu, instead of leaving immediately leaving like the first few times, sat by the rock and looked at the squirrel curiously as it scurried up the tree before returning to its spot with a mouthful of acorns.

"Do you…live here?" Seiryuu asked the squirrel as he looked up at the beautiful maple tree. "It must…be nice. Being able to…live outside…"

Instead of hopping away like before, to his surprise the squirrel instead nuzzled against his hand. Seiryuu tried to resist his natural urge to jerk away, only to turn his hand so slowly until it was palm-up and then have. The squirrel settle into his cupped hands, soft and warm and alive. Seiryuu felt an odd lump form in his throat, and he squinted his eyes to keep them from stinging with tears.

"I'm sorry…if my hands are…cold." He murmured awkwardly because he didn't know what else to say, but instead the squirrel just nuzzled against his fingers making his whole body twitch and the squirrel to look up at him. "No one…really comes up to me…so I'm not used to it…"

The squirrel just continued to look on at him, obviously unafraid, and Seiryuu couldn't help but feel his heart squeeze in his chest.

"You know…I…I used to have someone…who looked out for me…he would eat with me too. He was a…very precious person…to me." Seiryuu told the creature, gently stroking it under its chin, relishing the softness of its fur. "You remind me…of him."

Suddenly a cold wind cut through the air, chilling Shin-ah to the bone and making him look up. The clouds were gathering in the east, black clouds that carried winds and thick rain. It was the sort of storm that caused the tree branches to ache and the sky to wail. A terrible storm, just like that day long since passed. He looked back down and noticed the squirrel looking up at him as if concerned. His stomach tightened and the pit of dread inside him only deepened when he thought of this tiny creature clinging onto the branches of a maple tree rocked by storm.

Seiryuu realized then that he couldn't leave it be.

"Would you…come back with me for tonight?" He asked nervously, "I…I live in the mountains. It'll protect you from the storm…at least."

The squirrel seemed, somehow, to understand. And most importantly it didn't fight him as he gently tucked the squirrel in his shirt to protect it from the rain which was just beginning to fall again at a rougher pace. He ran swiftly through the forest, faster than ever before as he made it up the path and back into the cave as thunder began to roll through the valleys and the dark clouds, swelled with rain, began to weep. He wind began to howl, as the villagers all murmured of another terrible storm that was beginning as they retreated back to their own rooms within the cave.

Seiryuu himself was making different sorts of arrangements.

Normally he did not bother with torches or lights because he had perfect night vision, but realizing his new companion would have nothing of the sort, he quickly took two of the torches and lit them along the path in order to hang and light the darkness of his normally lightless room. As soon as that was complete, he carefully took the creature from his robes and placed him upon the straw mat and the mass of blankets he had sewed. The squirrel squeaked in appreciation, before running around the room once to take in its new surroundings, and then coming back and settling on the blankets as Seiryuu began to get his dinner together.

The rainy season was a difficult season to gather food, so Seiryuu's rations always dwindled. But Seiryuu always was able to find something with his eyes to supplement what he was given and was an adequate hunter when he was able to go outside. So that night he had made for himself rice and daikon and rabbit, a crude sort of meal but he was able to share the radish with his new friend, and he swore every bite burst in his mouth with flavor, where before he wouldn't have tasted a thing.

That night, as the wind howled and the rains battered the cave, and the little squirrel had lay on the fur with him and still slept as he touched it with his fingertips oh, so carefully. This creature was a precious thing, Seiryuu thought.

And because it was precious, Seiryuu resolved to let it go. And that night he dreamed of a faraway past.

_(Seiryuu, he whispered one night when his fits had eased, he had called Seiryuu over, his eyes dull. I want to…tell you a story. It's a story about a king. Once upon a time, there was a king with all riches in the world, but his greatest treasure lived within the garden. He had a tree… a tremendously gigantic and beautiful tree. In the spring once the flower petals had blossomed and fell, a fruit was brought forth. An excellent fruit with fragrance and sweetness that couldn't be matched by anything else in the kingdom. One day the king told asked a guest if he would like some of these fruits, to which the guest replied, "I wish to have some, but how can I get them, the tree is too tall and large."_

_He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and Seiryuu waited patiently for the story to begin again._

_So the foolish king then ordered to have the tree hacked down to get the fruit. And so all their efforts were made in vain. The foolish king desperately tried to revive the tree, but it had withered and died._

_Humans are like the king, Seiryuu. They are stupid people who hurt us, despite what we give them. And we are like that tree. We give fruit, but no one will be able to taste the works of our labor. The fate of the Blue Dragon is to simply wither and die away. There is no point to our suffering. What is the purpose of a tree whose fruits no one will ever taste? What is the reason for their being a Blue Dragon? Why...why do we have to...?_

_He was upset and angry, but Seiryuu couldn't say a thing. And so Seiryuu simply burrowed next to him in the blankets, and wished he knew what to say. Instead of pushing him away, Ao held him close, and Seiryuu fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.)_

* * *

The beautiful maple tree that Seiryuu had so admired had been shattered and cracked by lightning, its beautiful branches crashed onto the ground, its innards scorched and split open to the sky. Seiryuu resisted the urge to shudder at the fact that if he hadn't taken the squirrel back with him, more than likely it would have been in the tree as well.

The creature to his surprise didn't seem too sad or fazed. It appeared to inspect the tree before hopping through the grasses and squeaking at him. When he reached his hand down, the squirrel scurried up his arm and rested upon his shoulders.

"You…shouldn't wish to come…back with me." Seiryuu told it, "I live in the cellars…I have to sneak out to come outside. You won't…be able to…live in the open air and the sunlight any longer. I'll…try to find you a new tree…until then…you can stay with me…but only…until then…"

The creature nuzzled against him and Seiryuu stroked its head as he walked back towards home. He realized then that he had never given the creature a name and quickly decided on the only name that seemed right as the forest fell behind them and the clouds scattered from a blue sky.

"…Ao."


	8. One's Own Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to make one long chapter, but then decided to split the actions into two. In any case, it ended up being plenty long so I think that it's an appropriate place to stop. This was definitely a very hard chapter to write, considering how much it got covered in the manga/anime. I wanted to be sure I stuck as close to canon as possible, and hopefully I did so. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed! ~OMGitsgreen

_"It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins."_  
-Lao Tzu

* * *

It is difficult to change the emotions and feelings of those who are resolved to walk their paths. No matter who they are. Whether it be the greatest of kings settled upon their golden thrones, or paupers living upon scrapes and daily toils, as long as those feelings which all humans have are engraved deeply in their hearts it is hard to evolve from their states. Hatred, the Elders would tell the children who gathered around the fire, would be one of the absolute hardest to change. Many people might say that hatred does not last forever, but that is certainly not the same as disappearing. After all the Blue Dragon's hatred was still haunted their forlorn village, hiding in the blood of those who lived in the cursed place, unseen and unfelt. And given the slightest chance it would reappear and wreak havoc upon the lives of the villagers who felt they did not deserve such punishment. The Blue Dragon's grudge was long, and enduring. And those of the village of the Blue Dragon had to prepare themselves for lives under its constant duress.

But given hatred's persistence how should one truly go about getting rid of it? The only option one has is to overwrite it with an equally powerful emotion. But the village had long since forgotten the Red Dragon of great nobility and his greatest message for human kind as he left the heavens in order to live and rule among them. And since no one had ever remembered, hatred and fear and loathing ruled a village and a young man, and since no one had ever taught them this lesson it would take someone else to make them learn.

Who that would be, would be revealed in time.

* * *

It was said that change could be sensed upon the wind. That the change on the wind could be made materialized and known through its whispers as it brushed through the tall grasses of the valleys, tasted as the flowering trees perfumed the forests in their scents as spring neared, and felt as it curled around a person and beckoned them upon their journeys. But only the Oracles could possibly hope to understand the language upon the wind, to grapple with the esoteric notions that the Gods give to each living being. For a human, such things are almost impossible to decipher. But Dragons are slightly different from regular humans, as the blood of a God runs within them. It is because of this blood, and perhaps an inherent quality that separates them from most men, that Dragons a bit closer to Gods then regular men, though their humanity remains intact.

When his life changed for good, Seiryuu had lived through eighteen rainy seasons (It was the season he had been born in, though he never knew exactly what day. It wasn't as if it mattered that much to him, but the marking of time still allowed him to measure the years with ease). He had become fully grown, and a full-fledged Dragon in his own right. And by the time the village had been living within the Temple in the Mountain for fourteen long years. Seiryuu had upheld the first of those vows well, and had protected the village to the best of his ability. Though in no way could one see the village of the Blue Dragon and consider it to be a flourishing village, but it was surviving on despite the hardships it faced. Those in the village assumed every day would continue on as it had, an endless string of days within an eternity of punishment. However, Seiryuu was different. Unlike the villages who saw the mountains and viewed them as unchanging, Seiryuu's eyes were simply better and could see even the tiniest changes of the mountain's face as time wore on.

So even though great changes and a prophecy were spun without his knowledge, Seiryuu could sense that something was different and afoot. As he looked from his perch out onto the world below as the sun began to set and painted the sky brilliant shades of orange, absorbing the details of the landscape, and attempting to discover where the other trees in the forest that were becoming laden with fruit, he swore as the wind brushed his cheek and made him shiver that it was trying to tell him of things that were to come. An omen, certainly. But somewhere in his gut he knew that something was coming that would possibly change things. How dramatically everything would eventually change for him was unknown at that moment, but would soon become apparent.

Noticing that he had stilled, Ao squeaked and rubbed against his neck worriedly and Seiryuu simply sighed.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Probably." He murmured before returning to the caves. As soon as Seiryuu stepped foot back inside he was immediately confronted with the sight of Elder Chul-Suk who was followed by a few grim-faced elders.

"Lord Seiryuu." He stated and immediately Seiryuu bowed in respect before him, and then stood straight as his bells rang out in the relative silence. "We have just received news from the outside. There has been a coup in the Capitol. Normally such things wouldn't concern us however, with a new King we are worried his scouts will come to take stock of his new kingdom. We shall be extra vigilant in the days to come, and we ask that you limit your activities to the cellars unless necessary and to stay within the hidden passageway during the day when it can be helped."

"Mask…"

"The villagers have the masks. Even if they do catch a glimpse at you, they will not assume anything." Elder Chul-Suk said and Seiryuu nodded once to let Elder Chul-Suk know he understood before beginning to walk away only to have Elder Chul-Suk hold out his cane and block his path. "For many years you have been obedient, you have followed the rules. And because of this the village has continued to survive despite our hardships. I expect you shall continue to do so, or else the consequences for the village will be dire."

Seiryuu bowed his head again in respect and to let him know that he had taken his words of warning to heart, before the Elder just scoffed and let Seiryuu continue to walk through.

That night in the caves was cool and dark but Seiryuu navigated his way through the passageways and back to his little home. At first he settled Ao upon the piled of blankets before attending his other duties of cleaning and sewing until his own stomach growled and Ao reminded him with a squeak of the dinner that had yet to be made. And so he turned his attention to his little fire-pit and his rations that he could quickly prepare. Seiryuu couldn't help his shivering as he made himself his rice gruel dinner and nudged closer to the fire, while Ao excitedly climbed to the basket where Seiryuu kept the fresh persimmons. He had picked them the other day, and was now glad he had done so because it looked as if he wasn't going to be able to go down to the forest for a while. So Seiryuu cut one for Ao and placed it in a bowl before her so she could eat, and while Seiryuu ate his own meal he couldn't help but think how funny it was. A boy with a curse and a woodland creature eating a meal of rice and cracked bird bones and freshly plucked fruit in the darkness of the caves. When he thought of it, it sounded very much like one of the tales so often told around the fires. As he bit into his own persimmon, letting the juice fill his mouth and the tangy fruit fill his stomach, those thoughts continued to swirl around in his head like leaves carried by the breeze.

His own life as a story would be a very sad story after all. Besides in his case if his life was a story then a hero would come and try to kill him and succeed, and then the village would be saved from his curse. If only that could be true, then surely everyone would be happy. But if he was killed then a new Blue Dragon would simply be born from another, and the process and the suffering would begin again. It was important for him to live as long as he possibly could, in order to protect as many children as he could from sharing his fate. And if that meant he would have to defeat the "hero" of that story, to kill him in order to allow others to live, that was a fate that Seiryuu was committed to carrying on. Many others might not have his resolve, but Seiryuu knew for the sake of the others in the village who relied on him, that was what he must do. Outsiders were enemies who put the village in danger, and had to be defeated. If some came to the village, then it was his duty to protect the village by killing them.

That did not mean that this knowledge gave him happiness. Instead, he was just alone. He was bearing the brunt of a very heavy burden. This had been the same burden his predecessor had born, but he had never given up protecting the village. And Seiryuu had long since decided to continue this path, even if it was a lonely one and hard one.

Ao nudged his fingers and he just scooped and settled Ao beside him as he lay down on his mat. He looked up, through the rock and sediment, to the sky which was clear and bright with the stars and lights that he had come to know in the night sky, and the moon was almost full and yet still as radiant as the sun. If Seiryuu closed his eyes, he could almost imagine those rays shining through the mountain and touching him with its purity and beauty.

But he was a creature of darkness, a Dragon. And darkness was the only path a Dragon could walk.

Seiryuu turned to pet Ao beneath her chin as she squeaked in obviously delight at his attention. Seiryuu couldn't help but feel that warmth well up in his chest and the thankfulness for Ao's company. Ever since he had found her two years ago, the hard life he had lived had become so much better. Ao made it so he could breathe easily. Seiryuu was content. Seiryuu had everything he could ever need. A place to live, a purpose, and even a companion in Ao. He closed his eyes and released a deep breath.

There was nothing he should want for, truly. As he slipped into a deep dark sleep, and he slid backwards, backward…

* * *

_A warm hand was touching his forehead as a sleepy rain pattered against the roof of the hut. It was the sort of rain that was in no hurry, not the dreary and sad rains of the winter season, but instead the refreshing and warm droplets of a summer storm. Seiryuu enjoyed the summer rain, and playing in it was one of his utmost pleasures, but he must have stayed out too long, or gotten too wet. His head felt full, and his limbs were heavy and his vision was cloudy as if a warm, drowsy fog had settled over everything in sight._

_"Ah…you've gotten a fever. This is what happens when you run outside in the rain…even though I told you not too…" A warm, familiar voice filled him with peace, and he didn't resist as a cool cloth was placed over his forehead and fingers ran through his hair comfortingly. His mask was off, but in those unguarded moments he didn't need it. "You need to rest, so the fever can break."_

_Seiryuu leaned against the touch, craving it, wishing desperately that the person would touch him more as he reached out from the blankets. He felt that large hand take his own in response, squeezing his fingers teasingly._

_"Can't sleep? I'm guessing you'll want a story then, huh?" He said, and Seiryuu felt that warm person settle with him in bed to share his warmth, which Seiryuu appreciated because the fever chills were making his teeth chatter. "Since you're shivering I'll tell you a story about the sun."_

Sun?

_"The sun and the moon are siblings you know." That caretaker murmured, "The sun is beautiful and radiant, with hair as red as dawn, and skin flushed and smooth, and wearing the most delicate of robes that are painted by her loving hands and crafted by her sunsets. Truly out of any beings in the Heavens she is the most fair, but she is not perfect. The sun can be jealous, because she is so beautiful and wishes to be admired. And the moon, though he shines as much as he can, cannot hope to compete with the sun out of sheer brilliance. So once the humans ridiculed the moon for having the audacity to shine in the sky after his far more superior sister. And so hurt, the moon ran away to a deep, dark cave, because he felt unloved. He thought, if the world only desires my sister, then I should live here alone."_

Then everyone was happy then…?

_"No Seiryuu, because though the sun was beautiful and radiant, the world also needs the moon. A great drought ravaged the lands leaving the humans without food, and with only the brightness of a summer sky none of the humans could sleep. They tried to beg for the moon's return by offering sacrifices and prayers but the damage had been done and the moon had gone too far for those things to reach him. The sun saw what was happening and immediately set out to right the wrong the humans had committed. And so the sun herself descended into the cave and into the very darkness she abhorred, and took the moon's hand and led him back into the light. That is why the moon can be seen in the sky during the day, and in the night, because the sun realized that she was the most beautiful when they were together."_

Would the sun really go into the darkness…for the moon?

_"Don't think too much into it when you are sick, but yes, Seiryuu. Sometimes there are things that are worth even that. One has to be resolved." He said gently before bringing his arms around him to pull him to his chest and chuckling fondly. "Now stop asking me questions and sleep, before I make you sleep you brat."_

_Seiryuu cuddled against his chest, and the dream faded away into a more familiar darkness._

_But within that darkness, Seiryuu could feel a heartbeat not his own and not of that special person. A white light that was coming in close but what was it and why did he feel as if he knew it-_

Seiryuu awoke to desperate pounding upon the cave outside of his room as panicked voices came from down the halls. He felt blurry and stuffed full of something heavy, his eyes throbbing from within in a way that hadn't happened since that fateful day many years ago and caused dread settled into his gut. Seiryuu tried to get up immediately, but felt odd and bloodless and numb and he collapsed back into bed as his limbs refused to cooperate with him. Ao squeaked worriedly as he pressed his face firmly against the cold ground as he attempted to regain his composure, and looked up only to see Ao worriedly trying to tug over one of the persimmons from the basket that had toppled over during Seiryuu's collapse.

"Thank you…" His voice came out barely above a whisper and he winced as he felt it, that odd light-heartbeat unbearably close. Who was it? Who-

"Lord Seiryuu!" The voice was urgent and he fixed his mask and looked up to see one of elders, a woman named Elder Nari who bowed quickly. "Lord Seiryuu, outsiders are approaching the mountain. You need to go further underground quickly."

"Intruders." He hissed, reaching for his sword.

"No, we don't know. We might be able to answer their questions and allow them to leave. We won't kill them unless necessary." Elder Nari said and Seiryuu nodded and got up, despite the fact he swayed on his feet. Ao clung onto his shirt as he left his room quickly, running through the passageways, deeper and deeper down into the darkness where barely anyone went. Down the stairs further was both his secret room, and also where they kept any villagers who disobeyed the rules locked up as punishment. Seiryuu stopped, and slid down along the wall of the tunnel needing to take a break. And so he sat there, one hand clutching his head as his eyes throbbed while the other wrapped around his waist. Something inside of him was scratching at his insides, something that was telling him he had to go up instead of down into the depths. He could feel it in his blood that something was calling him to the light-heartbeat that was so close, that he needed to go and meet whatever was the source of that feeling. It was a sort of compulsion unlike anything he had ever felt and he shook his head as he physically attempted to rid himself of it, causing his bells to ring out into the darkness. So for a while, how long he couldn't tell, but at least until he knew the light-heartbeat was in the caves he didn't move because if he did he would have sprinted to its side. Finally gathering up his resolve to stand, he then nudged Ao from his shoulder and onto the ground.

Ao squeaked in concern and he tried to comfort her by petting her head. He didn't wish for his little companion to worry about him more then she needed to and did already, and though he might feel guilty about it, he had an important task to give her.

"Ao." He said as he attempted to speak as softly as he could, "I need you…to go see if anyone is coming this way. I don't want to scare anyone by…moving…but I can't meet the intruders. Otherwise, we'll need to kill them. I need to…get to the passageway."

Ao gave a confident squeak before pattering up the path and away from Seiryuu as he struggled to get up, digging his nails into his palm in order to calm himself forcefully. He didn't understand what was happening to him, and that only further upset him. As he realized just how disturbed he actually was Seiryuu bit the inside of his cheek, drawing blood, letting the pain force him from his wayward emotions. His emotions were dangerous to a Blue Dragon. Losing control of one's emotions could only lead to trouble, as lack of control could be the trigger to that terrible power that under no circumstance would he ever use ever again. Seiryuu always had to remember the lessons he was told and had learned or else he would continue to be hit like the fox. Those lessons and rules had been taught to him for moments such as these, and he needed to abide by them. If Seiryuu didn't learn those lessons and didn't abide by them, Seiryuu and the village would be forced and doomed to repeat the same troubles that had plagued their clan in the not-forgotten past.

So he drew in a breath to calm himself. Seiryuu had no choice but to calm himself down. He would handle the situation like he always did. Seiryuu would protect the village just like always. Ao returned a few moments later but squeaked in alarm and-

"…my friends aren't that way."

_An intruder?_

Seiryuu froze for a moment before taking in the rest of the scene.

The voice of a girl Seiryuu didn't know rung out as steps descended into the darkness. A girl Elder Gi was leading into the thick, suffocating darkness of the mountain's cellars. Suddenly he heard scuffling and struggling between the girl and the Elder and in horror Seiryuu realized what Elder Gi had been trying to do.

He was going to trap her underground. No!

He felt his body react before his mind truly comprehended. If Elder Gi trapped the girl underground, the girl might get hurt, and any other companions might try to find her or warn an army. Seiryuu couldn't let the village be put in danger, he had to protect her even though she was an outsider. He moved forward as Elder Gi dragged the girl down past the passageway he had been hiding in and he jumped forward, knowing he had to make it in time.

"Let me go! No! Hak! Hak!"

He grabbed Elder Gi's hand, startling the older man and watched as his face contorted in the absolute horror of being touched by Seiryuu. In a state of fright Elder Gi dropped his candle and fleed down the stairs, his steps and the candle holder disappearing into the darkness. His hand was on the girl's shoulder, warmth soaking into his fingers as he looked down to make sure she hadn't been harmed.

And that was when he truly saw her.

She was the sun.

It begun so quickly that it terrified him. Suddenly his blood began to boil and simmer, his bones cracked and splintered with the heat, his irises felt like they were bubbling from within as the muscles contracted and tried to give way. He felt as if he had just been doused by a great flame that scorched his insides and left him totally raw and burning alive-! He was barely able to continue to stand while a voice as loud as thunder boomed in his head and made his ears ring,

_**Four Dragon Warriors-** _

_What?_ He could barely hear his own thoughts over the booming voices and his blood rushing. Seiryuu wasn't even sure if he was conscious any longer because the force of the command was nearly driving him to his knees. 

_**-you are now our avatars! Hiryuu is your master! Protect him with your life, love him, and never betray him!** _

_Whose voices are these?_

Seiryuu was scared and his eyes hurt and he was confused, but he knew one thing with clarity: he had to bring this girl back up to the surface. So he forced his scorched limbs to work, holding onto the girl's warm hand as he began to ascend up the passageway. He would get her to her companions first, he thought as Ao settled upon his shoulder, even though his thoughts were coming as a jumbled blur that he could barely understand and he was only keeping upright out of pure will and determination. His muscles had surely melted and his bones were ash and as soon as he let go of that hand he would collapse and fade away, but he had to get this girl to safety. Seiryuu didn't care that he was getting closer and closer to the white-heartbeat, his mind was possessed because the sun didn't belong in a place where the darkness would ravage her-

Her fingers slipped out from his, leaving his hand feeling oddly lonely. She ran to see her companions and he froze for a moment taking in the sight of the man before him, with eyes as blue as the sky and hair as pale as snow, but he didn't see a man he saw-

A White…Dragon?


	9. Walking The Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little difficult to write because I couldn't exactly figure out when to cut it off. I feel like I also put a lot of detail in for like, one scene. I don't know. Meh. Hopefully you guys all enjoy!

_"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."_  
-Buddha

* * *

Just about fourteen summers long past, outside the small hut that Seiryuu used to share with Ao, he asked the question that had been on his mind. He was sitting upon Ao's lap as they were resting upon a log, hiding in the shade from the beating sun. Seiryuu couldn't stop his helpless tears at the sight of the bird whose life he had taken with his eyes, and Ao didn't say a word but simply let the boy mourn and take comfort from his presence as Seiryuu attempted to regain control of his toes which still tingled and his fingers which were still stiff. But no matter how terrible those moments had been, Ao could simply make it better by being there.

"Ao…" He murmured and Ao grunted to let him know that he was listening. "Ao…do…do you hate me…?"

"Don't ask stupid questions." Ao said shortly, his jaw set. Seiryuu lifted his heavy head for a moment, only to see Ao looking ahead, off into a distance that even with his eyes Seiryuu couldn't see.

"They…they said in the…village. I'm…I'm killing Ao…" Seiryuu said, tears continuing to roll down his cheeks. "I'm….I'm so-"

"Don't apologize." Ao snapped, "It's not something either of us can control, so don't cry over it. Your crying is annoying."

"But-"

"Seiryuu." Ao said, Seiryuu's name becoming a stern warning. Seiryuu didn't say anything else, but instead just pressed his cheek to Ao's chest and continued to cry. Ao's hand softly pressed to the back of Seiryuu's head to touch his hair.

Later that night, when Ao thought Seiryuu had fallen asleep, he slipped out of the blankets and went outside. He went into the woods, but of course Seiryuu could still see it as Ao took his sword to a sapling and hacked it down with all of his fading strength. He kicked it and tore it out of the ground by its roots and kept hitting it and hitting it with the blunt end of the sword until he fell to his knees and Seiryuu watched his shoulders begin to shake. When Ao lifted his tear stained face to the sky, Seiryuu knew in his heart that he was deep in mourning.

So when the dawn broke the next day and when Ao began to suffer one of his terrible headaches, Seiryuu set out on a mission. He walked into the woods with a basket to find Ao some of his favorite fruit, because just like Ao cared for him (even though he didn't like to say it), and Seiryuu wished with all of his heart for Ao's happiness. Though children barely understand the concept of death, Seiryuu knew that it meant being separated. And though Seiryuu might not have known it himself, he wished with all his might that maybe, just maybe, he could find a place in Ao's heart. It was a little wish, and maybe it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference in the world, but it was his all the same. Just like all the heroes and characters in the stories who had their wishes, maybe if Seiryuu believed enough and tried his hardest he could make his dream come true.

Having a family, Seiryuu thought to the Blue Dragon God in the sky, would be the greatest gift of all.

* * *

_A White…Dragon?_

His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would come out of his chest, his ears were still ringing from those voices which had shaken him to his very core, his muscles still screamed as they begged him to allow them to collapse, he still felt scorched from the inside out. But he stayed rooted to the spot in a moment of blind terror. No it didn't make sense. Why did he think this man was a White Dragon? What was happening to him? It had all started happening when he had touched that girl and those voices had nearly made him collapse, but what did it mean? His body wanted so badly to stay, to just throw himself upon his knees before the girl but his absolute panic overrode any physical instincts at that moment. If they found out who he was then-then they would all be killed. Intruders who found out about the Dragon's cursed power had to be killed and in that moment of feelings that didn't belong to him that was the last thing he wanted despite the fact he had no idea why he should care for this girl and this White Dragon man so much it made his heart ache.

He was suddenly running away, back into the cellars, as far and as fast as he could despite the White Dragon calling for him. He ran into the thick darkness, so far down until he made it to the secret passageway. But finally he had to stop, his scorched lungs could barely take in a breath, his blood continued to boil and made him feverish and feel ill, his hands tingling still from touching that girl's shoulder and holding her small, fragile fingers within his own, all of this wasn't aided by the alarming fact his vision was spinning and swaying as his eyes ached. But he continued forward, using the wall to steady himself and to keep him from falling onto the floor. It was then the questions began whirling around in his mind, too quickly for him to grasp onto one.

Why did he think that man was a White Dragon?

Who had those voices belonged to and why had they spoken to him?

Why was his blood boiling and his body reacting that way?

 _Calm down!_ He ordered his aching eyes, trying to will calmness through his body as it reeled with the aftershocks of the encounter, his head feeling like it was about to split open at that moment and if he even paused he would have crumbled away into ash, as he unsteadily continued through the darkness. _No one can ever learn of this power ever again..._

* * *

_(Seiryuu…I need to tell you a story and you must listen. A whisper like something from a dream, eyes dulled by death and staring into the abyss that lay beyond life itself._

_No…No. Seiryuu wanted to beg him. Don't say it. Don't tell me that story. Please, I'm stupid. I know I can't think of anything to say. But please, not that story-_

_Once…a long, long time ago, a there was a Red Dragon who lived within the heavens that all creatures return to with their deaths. The Red Dragon in the heavens viewed humankind and believed he could help them, and create a world of peace and prosperity hand in hand with them. So the divine Red Dragon God descended from his throne in the heavens and took on the shape of a man to live among humans. Obviously when the divine Red Dragon approached the humans at first they were overjoyed, and soon the Red Dragon became their King. At first the humans rejoiced, for the Red Dragon was a great and benevolent ruler and the country flourished under him._

_But he was a Dragon, and the humans he had loved and cared for as God and King eventually came to fear and became jealous of his powers. Envious and desiring the lands the Red Dragon had cared for and had flourished under his eyes, humans began to attack those lands from all sides, and his own people who he loved overthrew the Red Dragon. They dragged him from his throne to the gallows._

_What a ridiculous creature the Red Dragon was, wasn't he, Seiryuu? To think that humans and Dragons could live together in harmony. He gave the humans everything, and they took them all until it no longer suited them. They are stupid, ignorant creatures who hurt us, despite what we give them. The fate of the Blue Dragon is to simply wither and die away. There is no point to our suffering. So never trust humans, especially the friendly ones. In the end, they will all betray you. Learn the lessons you are taught._

_You must, Seiryuu, you must…)_

He was sitting in the darkness of the secret passageway when he came back to himself, which was his general place to hide if the Elders told him too. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours, the passage of time was no longer clear as he tried to sit up with his waning strength. He stared at his hand, feeling Ao squeak and bat at it with her paws. His fingertips still tingled with the touch of that girl. Thinking back to her, her desperate cries and pleas, made his stomach twist in a very uncomfortable way. More than anything he had wished to protect her, after he had gotten over the initial shock of her presence and the voices. How strange, he thought. Seiryuu had wished to protect the village because that was his duty, so maybe his feeling were more like the ones he had toward Ao. Ao was a tiny fluffy animal that he felt protective of, so probably seeing a small girl had inspired the same reaction. But it was so strange and she had been with that White Dragon and others, certainly that could not be a good sign.

Even though time had passed, his blood was still running hot through his veins, and he could feel that pull inside of him making him physically grit his teeth to keep himself from running back up the path to the girl and the White Dragon.

He shook his head, letting his bells ring out into the silence. No. All of it was wrong. He would kill them if they were enemies. Seiryuu had to kill them if they were enemies, even though everything within him was telling him that was not the case. Even though the idea of harming that girl was physically sickening. If he had to do it to protect the village from the outsiders, he would. That was part of the rules after all, the rules were what kept the village safe all of this time. And he had simply always followed the rules because those had been what were his "right" and had been what Ao had always taught him.

But…that girl. The voices had said to protect her. But why? Shouldn't they know that even if he could, he was cursed? It had to have been a lie. A dream or a hallucination. Ao worriedly nuzzled against his leg as if he could physically sense Seiryuu's anxiety and in return, Seiryuu gave Ao an affectionate pet, before handing her a few seeds that were in his pocket so she could eat.

It was at that moment, as he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down, that he felt the white-heartbeat, the White Dragon again.

He was…close.

He shifted into a crouching position, every part of him on edge. It was then, as all his senses were attuned to his surrounding that he heard the footsteps coming down the passageway. He knew it, inside of him, that it was her. That girl. And it didn't matter. It shouldn't matter a single bit.

If they're enemies, I'll take them down. Seiryuu told himself sternly. There would be no hesitation. No second guessing. This was the way that he had always lived, the way the Blue Dragon had to live. A Blue Dragon lived in darkness after all. He had always been that way, always would be. So he couldn't allow himself to falter at this moment because it was so critical. So that what he decided, he thought stubbornly, as the light from a torch cast shadows across the wall of the cave and the footsteps grew closer and closer.

_If they're enemies, I'll take them down!_

And then suddenly she appeared again, walking from the darkness as a boy beside her illuminated her with light. She was spun from sunlight, with hair as red as dawn and eyes the violet of a dusk sky over the forest. Skin as pale as the white hot rays of summer, and smiling brightly. His heart beat began to pound yet again, his blood to heat up to the point where sweat was dripping down his face. He just couldn't understand. Who was this girl? What was happening to him-

"Hello." Her voice rung out like his bells, pure and warm, and it only made him more confused and for his heart to squeeze even tighter. In desperation he pulled his sword with a scream, trying to get her to run away because he knew she would change everything, but she didn't flinch and instead he stayed there crouched and panting as his blood boiled.

"This isn't good, Princess! This guy's squatting down in the middle of a cellar with a mask on! He has to be dangerous, I'm calling Kija!"

That was when to his surprise Ao hopped forward, and the girl gave a bright smile and cupped her hand in order to lift Ao up. Seiryuu blinked, unable to believe how friendly Ao was being. She had always shied away from the villagers, so why was this girl any different? Seiryuu was so caught up in his shock that he didn't realize the girl was addressing him and caught him off guard.

"So what's this little guy's name?" She asked politely and Seiryuu just stared at the girl, unsure of how to respond. He shouldn't answer the outsiders because he wasn't supposed to trust outsiders and he was supposed to kill them. But this outsider was being very nice to Ao and polite so she at least deserved a response.

"…Ao." He stated, deciding to answer her.

"He answers questions." The boy next to the girl said and Seiryuu frowned because of course he could. Why wouldn't he? He wasn't exactly sure at this point what he should be doing. Well, that was a lie. He knew in his head he should be killing the intruders, but it was becoming increasingly difficult by the moment.

"That doesn't suit him at all." The girl said with a cheerful expression and Seiryuu blinked.

It didn't fit. Seiryuu thought. Well, he had known that for a while. Seiryuu thought so too. He agreed that Ao wasn't a good name for Ao but it was the most important name he knew.

As Ao hoped up on the girl's shoulder, she offered Seiryuu a warm and kind smile,

"Thank you for helping me earlier," She said before she introduced herself to him, "My name is Yona. What's your name?"

Name? The question was puzzling to him. He shifted and heard his bells ring as he mulled over the idea in his mind. He could lie, but names were sacred. But if he said his title, then they would know who he was and that was against the rules. But considering they were outsiders and they were here in this village, they had to be seeking him. So they had to know who he was. So it didn't make a difference either way.

"Sei…ryuu…" He murmured softly and the girl-Yona blinked in confusion. No, it wasn't good to know her name. That would mean she would become something other than an intruder. She was just a girl, an intruder, and he couldn't start thinking of her in any other way.

"That's not your name, is it?" She asked gently.

"I don't...have a name. Just…The Blue Dragon."

At his words the girl took a step forward and as his heart squeezed and panic rise again. If she drew any closer, he knew that he wouldn't be able to resist the power that was pulling him to her side.

"Stay away!" He cried forcing the girl to pause as she continued to look upon him with gentle, warm eyes and he just needed this to stop, he needed what was happening, what was making his eyes throb and his heart squeeze and making him forget about his rules, "Who are you people? Why have you come to this village? Why is that white dragon….?!"

"I came here in order to meet you." The girl explained and his chest filled with butterflies and he didn't understand. Why? Why did he feel so strongly that he had wanted to meet this girl? "I want you to loan me your powers. I want you to come with me."

"My…power?"

_That battlefield long ago flashed before his eyes. The harsh, biting rain that pounded against his skin and left it numb, the shrieks and howls as he tore the outsider's hearts from their chests and devoured them, ripped them limb from limb and watched them squirm in the mud as he reduced them to lifeless corpses because humans were simply bags of flesh and bone that were so fun to rip open, too much fun, so much fun. Humans hated Seiryuu even though he had tried loved them and save them. If they wouldn't love him, then he would tear them apart and devour them, and then they would be with him forever. Seiryuu had never been so happy before in his whole life because this was it, this was what he had been meant to do. This power was his and he loved it. Killing was fun with those dragon eyes, it was all so fun and he was so happy because a Blue Dragon was a creature of darkness, and no matter what he did he was a tree that could bear no fruit. So why should he try? Creating things and giving life was for humans, and he wasn't a human. He was a monster, he was a Blue Dragon. **Give me more. This is what we are. You are a dragon, and dragons devour all in their way. Look, Seiryuu. Look at the claw mark of our power. Don't you see, Seiryuu?**_

_**To live is to devour others.** _

_"Listen, Seiryuu. Those eyes are cursed eyes! I'll teach you how to control them, but never use them. If you use the power, the curse will come back to you. Your opponents' paralysis will become your paralysis. It's a double-edged sword! Besides, it's because of this power that we're always detested, or targeted…"_

Ao! He thought desperately before he knew what he had to do. Ao had always taught him, showed him the way. Seiryuu would protect this village that Ao had protected because what Ao had treasured was the only thing that mattered to him. Even if this girl was the sun, she was an intruder. She was everything he had to protect the village from. He lunged forward, grabbing the girl by the collar of her cloak and tried to steady his shaking hands because he needed to kill her.

"Enemies…" Seiryuu stated, trying to remind himself through his willpower, "Those who seek the power of the Blue Dragon…are enemies…!"

The girl-Yona-just looked back at him, eyes the color of dusk, calm and fair and with no fear. How long had it been since he had looked into eyes that held no fear of him? No hatred? Why was she so different?

_**Four Dragon Warriors! You are our other halves!** _

The echo of that voice run in his ears as his fingers trembled as he held the sword to her.

"You…" Seiryuu whispered, as his hand shook and tears burned his eyes because nothing was right, and he couldn't do it, he couldn't hurt this girl who was so precious to him, despite not knowing her, he couldn't taint and corrupt the sun with his darkness, "What are you? I…I don't know you. Why…?"

He held back his choked sob and moved away as he allowed his hand to fall to the side because he simply could not do it. Seiryuu couldn't kill this girl even though he didn't know why. As if sensing his internal struggle, Yona looked back at him, her eyes as soft as the sky.

"Seiryuu, I'm not your enemy." Yona soothed, her voice like the summer breeze through the willow reeds by the river as she reached out her delicate fingers, the ones he had held before, "I'm searching for the Four Dragons so that my company and I can continue living. Allow me to welcome you as my comrade."

Com…rade? He thought, stunned. A comrade? What sort of benevolent being was this, to look upon him and wish for him to travel at her side? Was the sun truly so giving? And more than anything he wished to grab that hand back, to allow her to bring him up from the caves, to follow her everywhere, anywhere, just to ensure that warm smile of hers. And he could, a desperate part of him, the part that was pulling him apart from his blood, he could take that hand that was offered to him.

Suddenly the sword in his hand felt heavy. Its weight had been held in Ao's hand, and many other Blue Dragons, its weight reminding him of the heavy burden he had to carry, the weight that crushed those desires beneath more rational thoughts. The rules needed to be upheld, the village had to be protected, this curse could never be allowed anywhere where the sun could touch, this destructive power would only corrupt the world this girl lived in with its dark, violent power.

"I…am…cursed…so…" Seiryuu explained, tightening his grip on that sword.

"Cursed?" Yona asked softly, and Seiryuu repeated the words he had so often recited,

"The world…must never learn of this power…it's a power of destruction." Seiryuu told her firmly.

"…Who told you that?" Yona said and he stood his ground, knowing that maybe she would try to change everything, but this was the one fact that would always remain true.

"It's the truth." Seiryuu told her, "I won't…use the power of these eyes again."

"So…are you saying you won't go? No matter what?" Yona asked, her eyes cast down. She looked so sad, the clouds of emotion filling her face and making his already aching chest burn. No, this was the last thing he wanted. But he had to, he had to.

"…leave." He whispered, his voice cracking before he steeled himself against the wave of disappointment and commanded, "Leave!"

For a moment they regarded each other, before the boy turned to Yona and said softly,

"Princess?"

It was then that they turned to leave, Yona walking a few steps before turning back to smile at him.

"One thing, your hand was…very warm." Yona told him confidently, her smile becoming more brilliant as she continued, "I don't know what kind of curse you have, but if that was the hand of someone cursed then I don't care at all that you have a terrifying curse."

And then she was gone, walking up the path, taking all of the light with her and leaving Seiryuu in the darkness as he slid down against the cavern wall, his legs no longer able to support him. Immediately he felt as if someone was tearing him apart on the inside, as if the warring sides of himself were struggling within. It hurt, Seiryuu thought. He had just met her, and being apart from her was so difficult. How had he gone on before, Seiryuu wondered. This feeling in his chest, this ache, certainly it hadn't been there before. It had been born the moment she had reached out to him, rekindled with her words, with her invitation and warmth. Her request, her words, _allow me to welcome you as my comrade_ kept ringing in his ears. He shook his head, allowing the ringing of his bells to fill up the empty air, no, if she knew the truth of his hideous power she would have never offered. But still-but still-

Comrade…

_Ao…Ao I…want friends…_

Ah, this ache. Seiryuu thought as he closed his eyes feeling his fingertips still tingling from the phantom of Yona's touch as his hand rested on the cold rock floor, I know this. I haven't felt this in so long because I had no reason to feel it at all. I had forgotten what loneliness felt like because I had forgotten what being alone truly was like.

_I've always…wanted to forget that, and yet…_

And so Seiryuu sat within the darkness, his own heart deep in mourning as he did so. He was so caught up in his sadness, he didn't hear the voices from the path above, nor the fighting that was almost about to break out.

It was at that moment that the earth groaned, as if responding to Seiryuu's own agony, began to shake.


	10. With A Single Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really sad to see this story end. This is officially the last chapter of ITSCD with the next chapter acting as an epilogue. But do not fret! Plans this summer are for the continuation of this story in the form of a sequel. Thank you all who have not only supported this story but have allowed me to have an ungodly amount of fun writing it. So thanks. ~OMGitsgreen

_"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."_

-Lao Tzu

* * *

"Ao…why do you…protect the village?" Seiryuu asked one day as they walked back, hand in hand, from the field where Ao had spilled the blood of intruders. "Even though…they hate us…?"

"Because I am here, Seiryuu." Ao told him firmly.

"Here…?" Seiryuu asked looking around, confused, and Ao just gave his head a pat.

"Because, Seiryuu, even though they're all a bunch of idiots, they are the only thing we've got. Keeping them alive is proof I existed. Proof that at least my life had a little meaning. One day, it will end. There isn't anything eternal in this world. The Blue Dragon will not exist forever, nor will our suffering or those who came before or after continue on like this. But at least when that time comes, I know I'll have done my best." Ao said before scoffing and shaking his head, "Not that it would mean anything to you. I guess you'll understand when you're older. Or I don't know, never. I'm not making any sense."

"Ao…"

"Don't grow up to be like me, Seiryuu." Ao told him gently, still tugging his hand back to their hut. "As long as you don't become a ruined adult like me, I think I will at least be a little happy that I didn't taint you like my predecessor did to me."

"Ao is…strong. I want to be…strong." Seiryuu told him and Ao just gave him a bitter smile.

"I have never been strong, Seiryuu. No Blue Dragon in our history, not even the first, has ever been strong. We are disgusting, weak, cowardly creatures. Creatures who live in darkness. But that's what makes us fearsome. While the strong polish their fangs, we will rip their throats out to protect that which is important to us. The weak can show no mercy, nor can they question their path. That is why, no matter what they may say to you or do to you when I'm gone, you must continue to protect this village in my stead. No matter what, Seiryuu. Until…"

"Until?" Seiryuu asked, as Ao looked off into the distance, into the dawn that filled the sky with pinks and gold so bright that the sky in that moment was more alive than any creature on earth. Seiryuu knew that Ao couldn't see as far as he used to, but still, Ao was certainly seeing something beyond what Seiryuu's limited vision could. Something beyond the sky, to the heavens where the dreams and the will of Gods were brought forth and made into reality. Maybe it was within that dawn, that Ao's dreams could come true.

"Until a greater calling comes to us, if one exists. Something out there created us to be how we are. There has to be a reason, right? Otherwise, what's the point? When that time comes, you will know." Ao told him as they reached the hut. "Now, let's see what we can make for breakfast."

And so together Seiryuu and Ao walked towards the dawn, and let the sky and its loving menagerie of colors speak volumes to that which would remain unspoken, but felt, between them.

* * *

The Earth stopped shaking and Seiryuu got up from where he had been shielding Ao.

"Ao…?" Seiryuu asked and Ao gave a cheerful squeak to assure that all was well with her, and Seiryuu released a sigh of relief and gave her a rub beneath her head before scanning the damage through the rock. The entrance way was sealed off, and now that he was paying attention he could see and hear the echoes of the villagers berating and screaming at the outsiders as their despair bounced off the walls in a cacophonous song of pain and anger as the rocks themselves continued to groan and shift in their agony. Unlike the rest of that day, this was something familiar and normal. At least, Seiryuu thought, the world hadn't gone completely strange since the girl had arrived.

Dealing with the intruders could wait. Seiryuu first needed to get the villagers trapped within this cavern to safety. The front, where the rocks had tumbled and sealed them was a much thicker barrier then the side of the cavern which was worn down considerably. It was always good to have an extra escape route, Seiryuu thought, pleased with himself as he stood up. If he could break through there, there was an opening in the mountain the villagers could get through. Of course, doing it alone would be difficult. He was at least positive he could get some of them to help him.

And so he began his ascent up the dark path, grabbing a hold of the wall to pull his still aching body up. Immediately the villagers scrambled back in fear and Seiryuu knew he needed to drive the villagers back as far away from the outsiders as he could to ensure no blood would be spilled. The last thing needed at that very moment was more fear and hysteria and they certainly could be dealt with later.

"L-Lord Seiryuu…" One of them gasped in fear, as the man standing closet to the outsiders trembled and sweat at the sight of Seiryuu. Seiryuu tried not to frown, nor to let himself be bothered by it too much. Seiryuu understood exactly what he was to these men and the village. It was the outsiders, that girl who had reached out to him who was strange.

"I-I wasn't talking to the outsiders…Stop!" The villager gasped before in total fear and panic his arm reacted and suddenly Seiryuu's cheek felt numb and he heard his mask fly off as the bells rang out in the darkness.

Where there normally would be panic was simply emptiness. Seiryuu realized he must have used up all his panic and fear before, and now felt simply calm and sad as what was occurring outside of him simply ebbed and flowed over him like distant moon-tides. As the villagers panicked, Seiryuu made sure to keep his eyes down and to close them to soothe the villagers of their fears. At this point he was resigned. Surely the villagers had told the girl and her companions of his true nature. They knew, Seiryuu thought to himself. She would know now, that he was a monster undeserving of her company. He would do what he could, he might even let them go (because he doubted he could kill that girl), but the faster the better. The sooner they were gone, the sooner this confusion would end.

Seiryuu fixed the mask upon his face and saw the White Dragon looking back at him seriously.

"What do you want, Blue Dragon?" The White Dragon demanded, his voice commanding an air of authority and maturity. "You have no intention of joining us, correct?"

Seiryuu reached down to grasp the axe laying upon the ground and the White Dragon immediately tensed as the girl and her young boy companion moved out of the way hastily.

This White Dragon was a beautiful person, spun together of frost and starlight and a midwinter sky, but with an arm with claws that were sharp and scales that glittered in the low light like distant stars. He was almost unbearably familiar to Seiryuu, just as the girl was, but the feeling was different. More like how Ao had felt to him long ago, rather than burning him into dust. Seiryuu felt like he knew this starlight man, was connected to him, as if they were—No. He was getting distracted. He had to focus on getting the villagers to safety.

He lifted up the axe surely before swinging it against the rock, hearing it tear at the cave wall and knock away a chunk of stone. Seiryuu continued in the fluid, practiced motions that had been drilled into him with swordsmanship when suddenly the White Dragon spoke up again, breaking his concentration while he continued to swing in less fluid motions as he listened in absentmindedly.

"You…! If you came to help us escape, why didn't you just tell us? I was in despair, thinking we Dragons would have to fight amongst ourselves!" The White Dragon chastised at Seiryuu before blinking in confusion and pointing up ahead to where the exit had been sealed by falling debris, "Wait, why are you digging over here? The exit is that way."

Seiryuu paused his actions. Had he been speaking to Seiryuu? Had this person been actually addressing him? Barely anyone directly spoke to Seiryuu, so he hadn't been prepared to speak and he hadn't quite been listening. He didn't know what to say. He hadn't told them what he was doing and maybe if he did they would help, Seiryuu thought. Thinking this would be the wisest action Seiryuu turned and looked at the White Dragon.

"This…leads out. It's quicker to dig here."

"You should have mentioned that sooner!" The White Dragon admonished him before turning to the girl and their other companion, "Princess, I shall begin digging now, please wait."

"I'll dig too! Let me borrow that!" The girl said before grasping a dagger from one of the villagers who just gaped at the girl's actions. At least, Seiryuu thought, he wasn't the only one who was bewildered by her.

"You must not. It is we, the Dragons, who have a duty to protect you." The White Dragon said confidently.

We? Seiryuu thought, confused.

"Let me…Let me help as well! Let's get out this place quickly!" The girl exclaimed stubbornly and the White Dragon smiled and looked back at her fondly.

"Yes!"

"You guys start digging too, if you want to live." The boy companion addressed the villagers who all shifted before taking up positions at the wall to begin to dig. Seiryuu looked over, to get a better view of the White Dragon, and then watched as the White Dragon's arm grew impossibly large and tore through the cave rock as if it was mud instead of hard stone.

These people were…strange. Seiryuu immediately thought, his mind consumed with this new person he had just met. There was something similar between them Seiryuu thought, but obviously they were different. Different but the same, though that made his head spin because it didn't make sense. And somehow, unlike the villagers who all moved away from this beast that tore through the heart of the mountain itself, Seiryuu felt oddly comforted by this display. It didn't surprise him, though Seiryuu knew it should.

In his mind he had called this man, White Dragon. That had to be the reason for why he felt so familiar. Maybe, a hopeful voice chimed in his head like the calling of his bells, maybe he is like me and Ao. Maybe that person had been cursed by a Dragon as well. Immediately that thought came with another. If that was so, then was the girl also cursed by a Dragon? No…Seiryuu thought. No, he knew neither the girl or was that White Dragon cursed. After all, he saw their free spirits, their laughter, and their brightness. They weren't creatures of darkness like he was. They didn't belong in the coffin of the earth, sealed away for the protection of others. They belonged to the sky and the sun and the light.

He continued to think about these things as his body continued to move and break the rock of the cavern until suddenly he watched as the girl stumbled backwards. His natural instinct was to reach out to her and catch her just to make sure she didn't get hurt.

"Blue Dragon, please bring her to your room to rest! There should be more air there." The White Dragon asked him between gasps, and though the girl protested, Seiryuu lifted her up as he had seen many mothers in the village do so and began to carry her to his room. He was surprised at how light she was, and that despite previously setting him a blaze, at that moment he was carrying the girl with Ao skittering down the path behind him with his legs firmly beneath him. Seiryuu gently (gently, so very gently) placed the girl down against the wall, before pulling off his fur to blanket her in.

"I-I'm not cold! I'm okay!" The girl stated, and Seiryuu didn't believe her because that important person had so often said that he was okay too, even as he pulled his weak body from the ground and his blood spilled warm and stick onto Seiryuu's fingertips. Just the thought her bleeding and hurt curdled his blood, and quickly he looked around before placing Ao upon her shoulder and watched with relief as Ao nuzzled against her face and chirped with happiness. Good, Seiryuu thought, relieved. Being with Ao always made Seiryuu feel better, and hopefully it would be the same with this girl. He saw her smile, and her laughter lifted his heart in a way that he hadn't felt in so long.

However this changed into panic as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, spilling over her cheeks like droplets of fresh, warm rain that fell in the summer time in the forest. She pressed her face into her hands as those tiny shoulders shook with her sobs and he couldn't understand.

 _Why?_ He wanted to ask but he didn't know what words to say. _Why? Why are you so kind to me? I don't understand. I haven't done a single thing for you. I've yelled at you and tried to hurt you, I refused you. Why? Why do you cry for me, for my sake? Why do you continue to reach for me, despite the fact I cannot reach back? Why…why do I feel like I so desperately wanted to meet you?_

The girl took a moment to collect herself, wiping away her tears before looking up at him with eyes blazing with determination.

"It's frustrating! I hate seeing you alone!" The girl announced, and Seiryuu resisted the urge to gape at her. "Am I presumptuous to want to help you when I've just met you?"

His heart was about to burst, Seiryuu thought as she pet Ao. She was worrying so much for him, despite what he had done. Surely people like this shouldn't exist. He had been lucky to have known one person in his life so selfless and now this girl had come to this place and had thrown his heart into turmoil.

"Alright. I can still dig." The girl said, standing up and beginning to walk away from him. Seiryuu's hand twitched and reached out to her, but he stopped himself short. "I can do more. You know, Seiryuu, I'd never left my castle for fifteen years. Every day I lived without worry, protecting my tiny little happiness in my tiny little world. When that was taken away from me I understood. What's it's like to be hungry, or have your heart broken. The fact that even then, you continue to breathe. You wish to live. It means something for me to live, for you to live. I won't let you say it's meaningless."

Suddenly she flung her arms out, as if embracing the darkness within the cavern, her expression not wavering as she looked upon him with no fear at all in her gaze.

"That's why I'm going to break you through this darkness! I promise to take you someplace where you can be comfortable being yourself!"

This had to be what happened when the moon met had the sun, Seiryuu thought. Surely there was no creature or person as beautiful and kind as she was. The sun was the only one who could dispel the darkness of the world, who could paint the sky full of color, nurture the world around her, and who could lead the moon back to where he truly belonged. But it couldn't be true, because his story had to end in tragedy. He was the monster, the creature of darkness. This new story she was daring him to spin, this new place that the girl—that Yona wished to take him, had to be a story told to him as a figment of the wind-song and a dream of the sky. After all, if the sun could dream and wish for anything, it shouldn't be for a dragon to be free within the reach of her domain. But somehow Seiryuu looked to her and saw honesty and affection, determination and love in her eyes and smile.

 _Is there such a place?_ He dared to think, amazed as he numbly reached out for his fur and stood up, watching as the girl moved forward with such life in each step. _Where can I go to find it?_

_(A warm laugh and smile, a hand that reached to touch his head fondly echoed in his dreams as that voice murmured,_

_And so the sun herself descended into the cave and into the very darkness she abhorred, and took the moon's hand and led him back into the light. That is why the moon can be seen in the sky during the day, and in the night, because the sun realized that she was the most beautiful when they were together. Sometimes there are things that are worth even that. One has to be resolved.)_

_No,_ Seiryuu thought as he clutched the fur and walked forward after her, up those steps he would never descend again, _I already know the answer to that don't I?_

As Yona talked with her companions shortly, Seiryuu renewed his efforts. There was someone digging from the other side at that point, and soon they would be able to break free of this imprisonment, Seiryuu thought. No matter what, he would get Yona and her companions and the villagers to safety.

It was just then that the wall shook with a great force and a spear plunged through the rock, knocking loose torrents of dust and pebbles. Light flooded into the passage way as the man reached out to grab the girl in his arms. Light itself clung to Yona, brightening her smile and the world around her with just one look.

Really, Seiryuu had known from the moment he had seen her. He had known that there was a world of light by that girl's side.

* * *

"Hello…Seiryuu." The boy who had accompanied Yona introduced as Seiryuu had awkwardly stood just inside the passageway and looked out upon Yona and the White Dragon and her other male companion chatting in the sunlight. "My name is Yun. I was wondering if there was any way I could gather some supplies. I don't know if your village has any merchants, but as Yona and Hak and Kija get some air I just wanted to do this."

Supplies? Seiryuu had plenty of things in his room. So Seiryuu nodded and led the boy to his actual dwellings and motioned to the herbs drying on the walls, the animal furs and blankets he had sewed, and any number of weapons he had gathered from the bandits he had defeated in battle.

"Are you saying that I can choose anything from here?" Yun asked and Seiryuu nodded. The boy immediately placed his hands on his hips, "You're a pretty generous guy. I'll be sure to pay you back tenfold."

Seiryuu wasn't sure how this boy was planning on doing that, but he considered for all the trouble they had gone through this was the least he could do. And so Seiryuu stood outside the passageway, making sure no one approached the boy as he went through his things. And as he did so that was when a very flustered looking Elder Chul-Suk raced down the passageway, fire in his eyes, gritting his teeth like a mad man possessed.

"Lord Seiryuu, why have you not disposed of the outsiders?" Elder Chul-Suk demanded and Seiryuu folded his arms over his chest and stood against him.

"Not…dangerous."

"How can you possibly know that?" Elder Chul-Suk roared, "I knew I should have had you locked in the cellars, at least that way this wouldn't have happened! You go get those outsiders now and kill them before they reveal our secret!"

"No." Seiryuu repeated sharply.

"It is your duty! Have you forgotten the rules, the very foundations on which are lives are built? Have you gone mad?"

"No. No one will touch them."

"Do you dare to go against me? Do you dare to defy my orders, Seiryuu? Is it now that your rebellious streak finally rears its ugly face? I knew the influence of that predecessor of yours would show through eventually, but not at a time so critical." Elder Chul-Suk growled. "Even now, beyond the grave he mocks me, through you as his vessel! I am your master-"

"You have never been...my master." Seiryuu told him. "For the sake…of the village…I did what you asked. Now, no more. No one hurts them, or I will take action."

"Are you threatening me?" Elder Chul-Suk said, sucking in air as his face turned pallid.

"Please…heed my wish." Seiryuu said, bowing his head. The other man just huffed and turned on his heel and walked away. Yun exited the room, looking to where the Elder had disappeared before back at Seiryuu with no fear in his eyes.

"They don't deserve someone like you protecting them." Yun told him and Seiryuu shook his head.

"Village...important." Seiryuu tried to explain.

"Yona maybe be strange and right now she might still be learning, but she does care for everyone. I think you should really consider coming with us." Yun told Seiryuu with a soft smile. "After all, I might not really understand this whole destiny thing, but if Yona wants you too and thinks it's for the best, I trust her judgement. You should too."

Seiryuu nodded, before leading Yun back up to the surface where his companions awaited.

* * *

The moon was full and white within a clear sky, drifting in the daytime blue with the clouds as the sun bathed the mountains and the valleys below in its warm light. The wind no longer carried foreboding warnings and distant storms, but instead the fragrance of the blush of flowers and the sounds and intertwining voices of birdsong and river-notes. The mountain that had been his coffin and cell, appeared smoothed and golden in the daylight's kiss, as if the world itself had been reborn and opened itself up to the light.

Had the outside world ever been so beautiful? Seiryuu asked himself. No, not since that day so long ago. Not since that empty field and the pearly streaks of early morning that had dawned a day that never came for Seiryuu ever again. With Ao's hand in his, the world had been full of stories and magic, but when it had been torn away from him the nights had no stars and sun never shown through the darkened clouds of his mind. All he had then were those memories and whispers of happiness. But now—now it felt like everything was different. It was too soon to say if he had changed, but all he knew now was that he had been given something incredibly precious.

"Seiryuu!" Her voice broke his internal revelry. He looked up at her, only to see Yona running towards him before stopping and reaching out her hand. The hand he had grasped once before to lead her from danger that she was now offering him back once more. "I'll ask again. Let's go together, I want to take you with us."

"I…" Seiryuu said, but he couldn't get the rest of his words past the lump in his throat. There was so much he wanted to say to her, to tell her, and so much he wanted to ask her. But most importantly he wanted to know how she could be incredibly kind to a creature like him. What made her so special?

"You don't have to close your eyes in front of me. Does your power really kill people indiscriminately?" Yona urged him before looking at Ao, "Even when Ao is so attached to you? Ao knows you aren't destructive."

Her words resonated so deeply within him, that he physically reacted. Seiryuu's heart leaped and soared, his eyes stung with tears he had thought he could no longer cry, suddenly something filled him up, greater than any longing or desire he had ever known.

This feeling, it had to be hope. And all he had to do was to take her hand and follow her into the light once more and maybe….maybe he could be happy. Maybe the day had come once more for him, maybe, maybe even he could live in the light with her.

 _If I'm allowed, is it all right to continue living as myself?_ He asked Ao as he felt his hand reach out hesitantly towards her, his heart pounding through his ribs and his eyes still burning with unfallen tears. Seiryuu could see him, his most precious person flashing beneath his eyelids who had the same goodness within him that Yona did. _If she says she doesn't mind, then can I take her hand? Would it be alright to trust her?_

Her fingers, soft, gentle, and warm grasped his own. At that moment he could feel that darkness that had shackled, choked him, torn everything away from him burn away. He struggled to contain his sob of relief and joy, as the blood within him sang because this was where he had always belonged. He had finally found it, he had finally found her, and that joy let tears slipped from his unguarded eye and slide down his cheek.

"Alright, shall we go?" The man who had so desperately helped them dig free asked, and Yona turned to wave at the villagers.

"Thank you for everything!"

His new companions turned to leave, but for a moment Seiryuu lingered on, looking at the faces of the people he had known his whole life, once protected. It was such a contradictory feeling, Seiryuu mused. Even if they had loathed him, even now, Seiryuu only sincerely hoped for their happiness. He knew now that the time of protecting them was now over, and that perhaps now they could also find a way to be unshackled from their darkness. Seiryuu looked to Elder Chul-Suk, who gazed back at him with an equal intensity.

 _It is because of you, even if you hate me, that I am alive today._ Seiryuu thought as Ao climbed up his shoulder, _and it is because of this village, their tears, their stories, and their lives that we are able to part today. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I shall pray for your happiness, no matter how far apart we may be._

Seiryuu bowed before turning and beginning to walk away, only then to feel his mask lighten and watch as his bells fell to the ground.

 _I'm sorry…for leaving you alone. I'm sorry!_ His voice rang through him, and Seiryuu could feel him in that moment. Seiryuu could feel that warm embrace as they had sat together in the summer, Seiryuu could hear his breath that had tickled Seiryuu's ears while they had slept in on a dreary morning, Seiryuu knew that rough cheek that had pressed against his own in the crisp mountain air, and most importantly the large hand that grasped Seiryuu's in the evening that had told him in action of the feelings they had once shared. All those little memories of their life together that had supported him throughout his dark days came rushing over him, and somehow Seiryuu knew that even in the darkness, he had never been alone and would never be alone for as long as he lived.

 _It's okay now._ Seiryuu told him gently as he turned and began to walk forward, knowing he would carry those feelings with him forever, _would he laugh if I told him I made friends, and we can call out to each other without bells? You, the special person I loved so dearly, whose face I can no longer remember…_

And so for the first time in his whole life, he turned to leave his village, and walked towards a new future.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The story went like many other stories did. It was a tale of brothers." In a world where the fantastic lives and breaths and Dragons do not just exist in myths, the remarkable still has the most mundane of beginnings. And that was how the story of a boy who becomes a man too quickly, and a child he becomes stuck with came to shake an entire kingdom. Pre-canon to Canon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are here at the end of this journey together. This little pet project of mine really grew, didn't it? Thank you guys so much for all of the support you have given to ITSCD throughout it's publications. It will definitely remain a favorite story of mine for a very long time. Let me know if anyone thirsts for a sequel, as I'm still deciding on whether or not to write one. In any case, thank you all so much *bows*

_"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."_  
-Lao Tzu

* * *

They sat together in the evening Ao leaning against the tree by the hut, not complaining as Seiryuu took up his favorite place in his lap playing with his new toy. Ao had been far more likely to get cold recently, shivering in the night as he grew weaker and weaker, and less apt to snap at him when Seiryuu wormed his way into his arms. And Seiryuu was selfishly happy, because being with Ao and helping him was his greatest happiness.

And so for a few moments they sat in silence together, and Seiryuu watched as the sun slowly sank beyond the horizon. The sun was saturating the air with heady, lush color, and the moon's dim presence grew brighter as the first stars were roused from their dreams by the fading vestiges of the sun.

"Seiryuu." Ao said gently, and Seiryuu's attention immediately turned to the elder, and in his eye's Seiryuu could see a sheen of tears, but immediately his face twisted to conceal them. "Tell me…what does the sky look like to you tonight?"

"Colorful." Seiryuu said before leaning back against Ao in order to take in the sky's majesty. "The moon is…big."

"How big?"

Seiryuu held out his hands wide, in order to measure and he heard Ao chuckle and ruffle his hair gently.

"Brat. We both know that's not true."

Seiryuu shook his head before saying,

"Beautiful."

Seiryuu tipped up back his head to look at Ao who was looking at the sky longingly, and watched as tears slipped down his cheeks, sparkling like ill-fated stars upon his skin as they dripped off his jaw.

"I hope the moon always looks as beautiful to you as it does now. Even if you can't see it anymore." Ao told him, his voice crackling.

He didn't finish what he was going to say. Seiryuu, reached out to hold Ao's hand and instead of batting him off Ao squeezed his hand in return. Seiryuu didn't know if Ao was crying for him, or for himself, but either way it didn't matter. Some things could be understood without words, and affections could be made clear through contradictions. Even if Ao hated him, Ao loved him too, and that was enough for Seiryuu. After all, Seiryuu knew from the bottom of his heart that he wouldn't change a single thing, because in this life, he had had the most wonderful family a boy could ask for. And that would be enough for him, forever.

And so the moon rose, Ao continued to hold Seiryuu in his arms, and the world had never seemed so beautiful.

* * *

It was nighttime, but it was warm. Warmer than any night spent in the coffin of the earth, buried beneath dirt and weeping rocks that had trapped him within their echoes and mourning. He wondered if it was because of the season, or if it was something more profound, but Seiryuu tried not to think on matters such as that too much or else he would get lost in his own thoughts.

Seiryuu stood in the field as a breeze gently swayed the tides of grasses. He bent down by a grouping of weeds, remembering them from where they had laid upon Yun's blanket. Seiryuu knew these herbs himself, having used them before to help calm an aching belly, and so he gently plucked the tender stems from the earth. After having eased the tricky roots from the soil, he was sure to tuck them away into shirt so that he could keep them safe and not forget them anywhere. Perhaps, he thought, that the White Dragon—Kija that he had learned was his name, would be able to eat these and feel better. Seiryuu had tried to give him fish earlier, but he hadn't been able to eat much and that certainly wasn't good. Hopefully, Seiryuu thought, soon he would be feeling better. He had only really known Kija for an afternoon, but he felt like he had known Kija for a lifetime. Kija felt familiar and comforting to him, in a way just as addicting a presence to him as Yona was. Seiryuu already knew that just as it would be difficult to be away from Yona, it would be equally unnerving to be away from Kija now that he had met him. Seiryuu wondered if the other Dragons that Kija had briefly told him about would be the same way, if there were more parts of Seiryuu that he hadn't known were missing that these people could fill. In any case, Seiryuu hoped Kija would recover soon. Kija had promised to tell Seiryuu all about the Four Dragons. It had been a long time since anyone had told Seiryuu a story, so he was looking forward to it greatly, but was also determined to make sure Kija rested as much as he needed without alarm.

It was then while Seiryuu was in the middle of his thoughts that Ao hopped off from his shoulder with a squeak and run off in the field. Seiryuu stood up laboriously, watching as Ao hopped forward happily, and Seiryuu was glad for her. Ao had been born a wild creature, free to roam about the forests as she pleased. But she had chosen to stay with him and had shackled herself in the caves, so it made him glad that once more Ao could also be free. Free like—

Seiryuu's thoughts halted as he lifted his eyes to gaze upon the moon and the stars that were nearly blinding in their brilliance, mapping the sky in their constellations, shining like rare jewels, as the moonlight threading around him and filling the air with its ethereal glow. He tore his eyes away only for a moment to see the air fill with the flickering lights of fireflies, which shone with all their might as they flitted over the grasses in smooth, graceful movements. He was so full at that moment and yet lighter than air—no, lighter than that. As light as moonbeam kisses and stardrops, and the gentle touch of a girl that made him feel as if he could step off the earth itself and soar. There was no caves, shackles, no darkness that he could find. His vision was filled only with the majesty of this world that had been made anew, a sight too beautiful, almost too grand for his own eyes to take in.

And in that moment, he closed his eyes and took in a breath, trying to soak in the light, opening his arms to the sky as he tried to embrace that indescribable feeling and make it completely his. For a moment he stood there, feeling complete, allowing his hands to fall to his sides as he continued to breathe and soar into that deep, beautiful feeling with the very essence of his being. He was so enraptured that he didn't even notice Yona and Hak, her companion with the torn fingers and playful smile, coming up behind him until she spoke. Her voice rang clearer than any bell as she called out,

"Shin-ah."

He turned, seeing her there bathed in moonlight, a warm and loving and thoughtful look dancing upon her face, her eyes sparkling with the light of a thousand stars and still being more radiant then any of them.

"It means moonlight. Your name is Shin-ah. You took my hand and led me through the darkness. You are my moonlight." Yona told him, her lips curving like a waxing moon, "Do you like it?"

Shin-ah.

The name resonated inside of him with the nurturing force of a summer thunderstorm, allowing something warm and alive to grow and spring from within him. A name. She had given him a name. He could have cried, but he didn't. And he felt in that moment felt more human than he ever had before in his life.

He nodded in response, and then began to run forward. Through the fields and into the forests, the name, his name ringing through his head again and again and again, Shin-ah, Shin-ah, Shin-ah. When he spoke it out loud to no one in particular, forming the syllables over his lips, hearing it whispered out into the air, a rising wisp of mountain fog, a glorious flap of a bird's wing, Shin-ah, Shin-ah, his name was Shin-ah.

"My name is Shin-ah." He said, and he was nearly bursting.

He returned from his elated run only to find the others having laid down for their sleep. He reached out to gently stir Ao from where she rested, eager to share his news with her.

"Ao, she said my name was Shin-ah." He told her feeling as if he could cry, but also more tranquil and full of peace than ever before. It was conflicting and wonderful and it all belonged to him, "For the first time, I have a name. She gave me a name."

He gently lay himself down, Ao curling up beside him upon the fur. It did not take long for his tiredness to catch up to him. And so he closed his eyes and allowed a deep, dark, but warm sleep pull him into its embrace as he sank deep into good dreams.

_I'll treasure it._

_(In his dreams there was a village, a flash of gold, and a warm smile._

_"Who was that?" Ao asked him and Seiryuu shrugged, it was a light and sunny day and he was happy because he had just received a new toy. He bounced on his heels as he held up his ball._

_"He gave me this." Seiryuu explained and Ao frowned…or at least he assumed Ao did. The dream was foggy and like always he couldn't exactly make out his face._

_"A peddler, huh?" He asked suspiciously._

_"…Yellow Dragon." Seiryuu tried to explain. But Ao just rolled his eyes and shook his head,_

_"What on earth are you talking about?"_

_Seiryuu wasn't exactly sure. That name had been what had popped into his head while he talked with the stranger, who had been as sunny and yellow and cheerful as the first sunlight of spring that broke through the dark, rain-heavy clouds. In any case, it didn't matter._

_"Well, if he's just a traveler then there's no need to worry about it." Ao said as he took Seiryuu's hand and led him back to their hut._

_"He said we would…play again." Seiryuu told Ao who just scoffed. "He said…take care of Ao…"_

_"You can start by doing the laundry."_

_Seiryuu couldn't help but whine because the water was cold whenever he did the laundry and he hated the cold and how his fingers wrinkled. But when he looked up, even though he couldn't exactly see, somehow Seiryuu knew Ao's lips were lifting into a rare smile. His heart filled with the sight, because if Ao was happy then the whole world was happy too. Seiryuu smiled back and walked, one hand grasped by a firm and loving hand, as Seiryuu began to kick the ball forward with his feet and they unhurriedly made their way home.)_

* * *

The oak tree was a handsome fellow, tall and sturdy and easy to climb, and he had little fear as he balanced upon the top branch and looked out upon the lands sprawling before him. He was perched upon a tree branch like a bird of prey, lifting up the edge of his mask to better take in the landscape as Ao sat upon his shoulder. He scanned the vicinity, the twisting path, the thick forests, the plains in the distance for any sign of troubling movement, but saw nothing of interest as he hummed and continued to scan carefully. People were depending on him for safety, so it was best to be careful. He could take in much with his eyes, but paying attention to what he was seeing was the important part.

"Shin-ah, is there anyone around?" Yona called, and Shin-ah hopped down from the tree branch carefully, landing lightly upon the ground as he shook his head.

"No? Then let's go!" Yun said before leading the way, map in hand. "That long-distance vision is nice! It's easy to find low-traffic roads."

"Ah! You are fulfilling your duty well Sei—Ah." Kija said, cutting himself off and giving Shin-ah a warm look, "The princess gave you a name. Shin-ah. It's a good name, be sure to cherish it."

Shin-ah made sure to nod before Kija began to tell him the story of the Dragons as he had promised before. It was a different story then the one he has been told, a story of love, and of forgiveness. One day, Shin-ah hoped, he would be able to tell this story to his own village, and maybe another story too. A story of girl who would not only change his life, but the lives of many others. But Shin-ah knew that was the future, and the present was upon him as they continued forward on the beaten path, and Kija continued to tell his tale as their other companions listened in with smiles and laughter bouncing and filling the air between them with camaraderie.

And so they walked forward together, a sunlight girl, a star-spun Dragon, a General, healer, and a now-named Dragon whose true purpose he was sure he could find in that wide world he had never dreamed of while following that sunlight Princess who had gifted him with an endless horizon.

They began to make their way to the coast, and to new companions that were yet unseen, and to a thousand other meaningful encounters.

And Shin-ah was happy. He really was.


End file.
